Wonderland: A Whole New World
by alemica2
Summary: Part V. The children of the Ducks are making their way into Eden Hall Academy. Will they fall into the same problems as their parents or will they have new ones to face?
1. A Whole New World

**UPDATE (2013):** I know it has been a very long time since I have posted on this and I highly doubt anyone will even read this author's note but I'm going to post it anyway... I've been re-working this story for the last several weeks and have decided to re-upload the chapters I've edited (_severely_ edited) of this story. I have a lot planned for future fics and will post them once I'm done with the re-uploading. Hopefully people will still read this and if not... Oh well :)

The story revolves around the children of the Ducks from my Wonderland series while still incorporating the adult stories. There are pictures posted on my page of each character, if you're interested. Please review if you're reading this!

* * *

**Chapter 1 - A Whole New World **

Zachary David Reed had been staring at her from a distance for the last five minutes and although most people would find that unnerving or creepy - Zach didn't care. He was in love with Jade Nicole Germaine and had been for as long as he could remember. There was just one problem - two, actually. One, Jade had been dating his older, better-looking brother, Casey for two years. And two, Zach was sure that Jade barely knew he existed other than being her boyfriend's little brother.

He sighed, almost hopelessly as he closed his locker. He watched as she and Casey kissed and began walking down the hall.

The sound of a locker shutting closed snapped him out of his daydream. He turned around to see his friend, Lucy Riley standing in front of him with his arms closed.

He smiled, feeling a little flustered and embarrassed that she caught him once again admiring Jade form a distance.

"Hey, Lucy," he said, his voice squeaking - he was still a freshman after all.

"When are you going to stop fantasizing over her?" She asked. "You know she will never, _ever_ think of you that way."

Zach went to talk but was interrupted by Lucy's twin brother, Kevin.

"Leave him alone, Luc," he said. "He's allowed to look if he wants to."

The three of them started walking towards the cafeteria.

"Like you have a right to say anything," Lucy said. Her brother gave her a curious look. "You're still obsessed with Lily Vanderbilt - a girl you knew when you were seven."

"Shut up," Kevin lowered his eyes, embarrassed.

"You two are pathetic," she shook her head. "You're the reason why we won't be cool in high school."

It was their first day at Eden Hall Academy and Lucy really wanted to make an impression. She wasn't one to ever be considered 'popular' but now that she was in high school, she felt different. Her sister, Molly, was one of the most popular girls in school; she was on the cheerleading team and dated a bunch of hot seniors, and Lucy wanted desperately to have some sort of connection to her.

But Lucy, along with Kevin and Zach, were self-proclaimed nerds. They loved science, and physics and chemistry; their current obsession? Robots. They were in the process of building one who could carry an egg from one end of the room to the other for the school's science fair in April. Oh, and then there was Lucy's glasses. She hated them for making her _look_ like a nerd and because of her lazy eye, she couldn't wear contacts.

She groaned loudly when she saw that Zach was still staring at Jade when they were sitting in the cafeteria.

"Zach, come on!" She said, growing more and more frustrated with her friend. "I don't get why you like her so much anyway, what do you even know about her?"

"Other than the fact that she's dating your brother," Kevin teased.

Zach looked at her, quickly trying to come up with an answer but fell short. Sure, Jade was drop-dead-gorgeous but Lucy was right - Zach didn't know much about her other than how sweet she was around his family, and how she was always baking chocolate chip cookies, his favourite, and bringing them over. He loved those cookies…

"Hello, earth to Zach?" Lucy said, snapping her fingers in his face and once again bringing him out of his daydream.

"She's… perfect," Zach said, never taking his eyes off the girl of his dreams.

"I'm going to be sick," Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

"You're just jealous," Kevin shrugged and Lucy's eyes widened.

"Me? Jealous?" She gasped. "Jealous of Jade Germaine? Like that could even be possible," she crossed her arms over her chest. "Her brain is the size of a peanut."

"Tease all you want," Zach said, finally returning his gaze to his friends. "But at least we have someone to… obsess over," he said. "Have you ever had a boyfriend, Lucy?"

Lucy glared at him like she always did when he said something to insult her. Zach always seemed to know just how to get under her skin and she hated it. "I'll see you in the science lab, Kev," she said, as she began collecting her things.

"Aw, come on, Lucy," Zach said, apologetically. "I was just kidding."

But Lucy ignored him, stood up from the table and stormed out of the cafeteria.

"Nice one," Kevin nodded.

"I'm sure she'll get over it," Zach sighed. "It's Lucy - she always does." Kevin nodded and Zach returned his gaze over to Jade's direction.

"It's not like I didn't notice him last year but after this summer, Jared Portman is a bonafide _hottie_," Andria Banks said excitedly as she and her cousin Sophia Mendoza walked down the halls on the first day of school. They couldn't be more different; Andria was outspoken, spunky and fun while Sophia was reserved and introverted but it was part of the reason they were best friends. The other reason was that their mothers were half-sisters and so they grew up together basically attached at the hip.

Andria was talking about Jared Portman, the son of their parents' friends Dean and Julie, who recently chopped off his long locks over the summer.

"He's to die for, seriously Sophia," she said. "Have you seen him yet?"

"Of course I've seen him," Sophia said. "I'm the one who cut his hair!" She laughed. "We hung out all summer while _you _were away in Europe."

Sophia and Jared had always been close - they shared a half-sister, Gabrielle, but over the summer, their friendship had reached a new level. They hung out practically everyday and Sophia was learning more about Jared than she had ever learned about a boy before… and slowly, she was starting to think they could develop something more than a friendship.

"Right," Andria, who had spent the summer traveling around European cities with her pro-hockey player dad, Adam Banks, soap-star mom, Anna Warren and her two brothers, Aidan and Noah, like they did every summer. She loved traveling; meeting new people and being exposed to different cultures was such a whirl for Andria but she hated missing out on parties, gossip and especially the boys. She was a little angry that she had almost missed out on her chance with Jared Portman. "Well, whatever, he's a total hottie and Andria wants!" She said, winking.

"Well, good luck with that," Sophia said, trying to mask her jealousy because in most cases… what Andria wanted was exactly what Andria got.

"Speaking of total hottie," Andria said, excitedly as she spotted Jared walking towards them. "Hey Jared, over here!"

He walked over to them, looking dreamy as ever in a plain black t-shirt and jeans, and a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Hey girls," he said. "How are you guys?" He said, pulling them in for a bear hug.

Sophia inhaled as he inched closer to her; he always smelled amazing. She felt the warmth of his body pressed up against her and hoped she wasn't blushing as she took in the moment. She looked over and saw Andria hugging him just as tightly, and she deflated.

"We're good!" Andria said, as they pulled away. "First day bullshit and whatnot," she shrugged. "How was your summer? Love the new haircut by the way."

He grinned, running his fingers through his newly short black hair. "Yeah, I figured it was time for a change," he said. "And I have you to thank for that." He pointed to Sophia.

"Oh, it was nothing," she shrugged. "It was actually my pleasure."

She felt Andria's eyes watching her every move and knew that she was putting it all together.

"Well, I'm gonna go meet up with some of the guys," he said. "I'll see you at the Dean's speech later?"

"Yeah, can't wait," Andria said, sarcastically. "Come find me, we can totally sit together and make fun of him."

Jared laughed. "Sounds good, see you later!"

As soon as he was out of sight, Andria turned to her cousin and gasped. "Oh my God! You totally have a crush on him!"

"What?" Sophia blushed, feeling her palms sweat. "I do not!"

"Come on, Soph, I know you better than anyone," she said. Sophia looked at her. "I saw the look on your face when he hugged you," she continued. "It's OK - you can tell me."

"I do not have a crush on Jared," Sophia shook her head. "That would just be… absurd. We're just friends, he's more like a big brother anyway."

"Mhm, right," Andria said, skeptically. "Well, there's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, right?" Sophia looked at her curiously. "Game on, bitch," she winked.

Ryan Conway pushed her down against the back seat of his car as he continued thrusting into her. She nibbled on his ear and kissed his neck as she tossed her head back, trying desperately not to make a sound.

"Ryan," she whispered, pulling him for a kiss. "Mm, Ryan."

"I gotta go soon, Gabby," he said, panting. "I can't be late for first period - I have your mom."

"Ew, way to ruin the mood," she sat up. He smirked and she pulled him in for another kiss. "Just skip it."

"Yeah, that'll go over really well," he said. "I know what I'll say, 'I'm sorry I'm late Julie, I was too busy fucking your daughter in the backseat of my car to realize the time, oh by the way, we've been dating for months,'" he said, sarcastically. "I'm sure she'll really love me for that."

"Well, when you say it like that…" She trailed, a smirk appearing on her face. "Come on, just stay with me. I don't want to go to school." She pouted.

"Gabby, please," he said, as he started to put his clothes back on. "You're a part-time model who's taking a semester off… I would kill to have your life."

"Well, maybe you could if you were a couple years older," she mumbled, but sighed when she realized Ryan had heard her. "Sorry, I never mean to bring up the age thing but it just slips out."

Gabrielle and Ryan were eight years apart, the main reason they kept their newfound relationship a secret. Although Gabby was an adult, Ryan was a sixteen-year-old high school student and she knew their parents would never allow them to date.

She never wanted this; to have to sneak around and pretend to date other people to keep everyone off their tail. They were casual at first, just having fun after they drunkenly hooked up at a bar a couple of months ago but they decided to keep seeing each other and what was a summer of sex turned into a real relationship by the time school started but the thrill of sneaking around and being in a secret relationship was starting to wear off, at least for Gabrielle.

She was studying Sociology at NYU and did some modelling for catalogues and fashion magazines on the side but while spending her summer with her family in Minnesota over the summer and starting a relationship with Ryan, she had decided to take a semester off and stay in her hometown.

"It's OK, it's not like we can avoid talking about it forever," he said, leaning against the seat. The bell rang and he looked at her. "But it looks like we'll have to continue avoiding it for now."

"Mm, saved by the buzzer," she said with a smile. He leaned in for a kiss. "I love you, Ryan, have a good day at school."

"I love you too," he smiled, kissing her again. Ryan felt a tightening in his chest. He wasn't sure if she had even realized it but that was the first time they had said that to each other but in this moment, when they were just enjoying each other's company and not worrying about who would catch them, it felt right. "Why don't you try _going_ to school for once?"

"I'll think about it," she laughed. "Call you tonight?"

He nodded, giving her one last kiss before he got out of the car and quickly came up with an excuse for being late to class.

"Aidan, hey!"

Aidan Banks spun around and smiled when he saw Jennifer Reed, daughter of Fulton and Tammy Reed, making her way over to him.

"Hey Jen," he said, admiring her glowing tan. "How was summer?"

"Good," she nodded. "I spent most of it with Casey and Jade at our cottage but it was good," she said. "Sucks you couldn't come but I'm sure you were having fun in Italy! How was that?"

"It was all right," he shrugged. "I feel like I've been to some of those places so many times, they're starting to get old."

Jen stared at him in awe. "I don't think I would ever get tired of spending my summers in Italy."

"Well, maybe I'll take you there someday," he said. She smiled at him. "So, I guess we don't have any classes together this semester, huh?"

"No, I don't think so," she shook her head as they continued down the hall. "Are you sure you have to spend another year at this horrible place?"

"Yup," he nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. He spent all of last year partying and cutting classes, thinking his parents would get him out of trouble if his grades ever got too bad but they weren't giving him a chance this time and so he was being held back a year. "Guess I should actually go to class this year."

"Yeah, that would be smart," she laughed. Aidan smiled too - he never felt like Jen was making fun of him or looking down on him, she was always on his side.

"I'm actually about to go sign myself up for a math tutor, so…" he trailed.

"Really?" She asked. "Well, you should totally ask my sister, Melanie to tutor you," she said. "She's a super genius and she's looking for a way to make some money so I'm sure she'd be willing to help you out."

"You think?" She nodded. "Well, I'll check it out," he said. "Thanks Jen, you're always looking out for me."

"Somebody has to," she shrugged. The bell rang. "Anyway, I have Spanish so I'll see you later? Maybe we can all meet up for lunch?"

"Sounds good," he nodded. "I'll see you then." She smiled and they went their separate ways. "This is gonna be a good year."


	2. Anonymous

A/N: Thanks for reviewing! I know there's a lot of characters in this one and it might be hard to keep track of who's who, but hopefully in time it'll get easier and if it doesn't, just ask me! I hope you like this chapter, it's rather long but most of the chapter's will be since there's so many things to cover. I have so many storylines for these characters and I'm really excited to write them, you have no idea! Anyway, enjoy this chapter and let me know if there's anything you don't understand!

* * *

"Ugh, I already want school to be over!" Andria whined, as she and Sophia made their way to her locker. "I'm just about ready to give up!" She said, throwing her hands up in the air. "I mean, who gives homework on the first day?"

Sophia laughed. "Well, you've still got a whole year ahead of you so… don't give up just yet."

Andria laughed and opened her locker. A tiny note fell out and onto the floor. She raised an eyebrow and picked it up, examining it in confusion.

"What the hell is this?" She asked, flipping the note over, seeing her name scribbled on it.

Sophia shrugged. "Open it," She urged and Andria looked at her.

She sighed and opened the note, looking over what it said.

"Read it out loud!" Sophia said and Andria looked at her, and then sighed.

_To be your friend was all I ever wanted, for you to love me is all I'll ever need… _

She read aloud and quickly brought her hand to her heart. She looked up at Sophia who raised an eyebrow.

"That's kind of creepy," Sophia grimaced and Andria gave her look.

"What are you talking about? It's sweet." She said and Sophia shrugged.

"I think it's creepy." She said, closing Andria's locker for her.

Andria looked down at the note again and smiled. "I think it's sweet." She whispered to herself as they walked away.

Little did they know, Nick Duncan was watching from afar and was very satisfied with himself._

* * *

_"Hey you!" Nora said, happily, as she spotted her boyfriend, Ethan, at his locker.

He smiled upon seeing her and hugged her close. "Hey babe," He greeted, kissing her.

She smiled and pulled away. "Are you gonna eat lunch with us or do you have band practice?" She asked and he bit his lip.

"Well, the guys were thinking we would go out for lunch…" He said and she nodded, happily. "Just the guys, you know? They've been bugging me about spending too much time with you lately," He rolled his eyes and she nodded, disappointed. "I'm sorry, it's just… I don't want them to be mad at me, you know?"

She nodded. "Of course, I totally understand," She smiled. "I think Melanie and I need some girl time anyway," She laughed and he smiled. "So, I'll see you later, then?"

He nodded. "Yup," He said and kissed her.

She smiled. "Well… bye." She said, awkwardly, as she started to walk away.

"Yeah, bye," He nodded, mentally kicking himself in the head.

Nora made her way to her best friend, Melanie Reed's locker and sighed, loudly.

"Oh no," Melanie laughed. "What happened?"

Nora looked at her. "Do all guys have trouble showing affection or am I just stuck with the one who doesn't like to?" She asked and Melanie closed her locker, laughing.

"What happened?" She asked, as the two made their way to the cafeteria.

"I don't know, he just… doesn't show emotion or affection!" She said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I mean… sure, he kisses me and stuff but he never tells me how he feels!" She explained and Melanie nodded. "What am I supposed to do, Mel?" She asked. "You know me, I like being reassured that he actually likes me…"

Melanie smiled. "He likes you, Nora, a lot… he probably even loves you!" She told her and Nora gave her a look. "I can see it, in the way that he looks at you and how happy he is when you're around…" She said and Nora shrugged. "Maybe he's just scared of telling you how he feels because he's not sure if you'll say it back?"

Nora shrugged. "I don't know… we've been dating for five months now, he has no reason to be shy around me." She said and Melanie nodded. "I just don't know what to do," She sighed and Melanie looked at her. "Sorry, I don't mean to dump it on you." She sighed and Melanie laughed.

"Don't worry about it," She smiled. "You're my best friend and I'm always here for you." She said and Nora smiled.

"Oh great, you're here!" A voice called from across the hall and Melanie looked up, seeing her sister, Jennifer, walking towards them.

"Incoming!" Nora whispered, rolling her eyes and Melanie laughed.

"I need a favor!" Jennifer said, with a smile.

"Okay, what?"

"I need you to tutor Aidan Banks." Jennifer smiled.

"What, why?" Melanie asked, confused.

"Because, he's failing and I like him so I want to help him out and I told him you'd be willing to tutor him, since you're like… desperate for money and even though he's being stubborn and said no, I know he actually needs the help and he'll come around," She explained. "So, will you do it?"

"Nope," Melanie said, walking away with Nora and Jennifer frowned, following them.

"Why not?" She asked and Melanie sighed, turning around.

"I'm not tutoring some dumb jock just so you can get him to sleep with you." Melanie said and Nora couldn't help but laughed.

Jennifer shot her a look but did nothing of it and turned back to Melanie. "Please, Mel? I really need this!" She said and Melanie sighed. "Come on, I'm your sister! I do _everything _for you!" She said and Melanie groaned.

"I'll think about it." She said and Jennifer grinned.

"Yay, thanks, you're the best!" She said, walking away happily.

* * *

"So, I told him… there's no way I'm doing this homework," Jade explained to her best friend, Molly, "And he was all, well you have to do it or you'll fail the first test and I was all well, I don't _do _homework on the first day, I have cheer practice," She said. "And he totally said I didn't have to do it!" She laughed and Molly laughed too.

"I just love how you have control over every teacher, especially the men." She said and Jade smiled, proudly.

"Well, I'm gonna do the homework eventually just… not right away." She said, with a smirk as the two walked further down the hall. She frowned when she saw her boyfriend, Casey Reed, talking to a senior. "Ugh, what the _hell _is he doing talking to that whore?" She said, angrily and Molly looked at her.

"Jade," She said, slowly. "Don't overreact, Casey's always talking to someone."

"Exactly!" Jade exclaimed. "And that someone is usually a girl!" She frowned and saw Casey leave the girl to start walking over to the two.

"Hey babe," He smiled, reaching down for a kiss but she pushed him away.

"I don't think so," She frowned and he raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you go continue your talk with your little friend over there?" She said, pointing to the girl who was currently staring flirtatiously at Casey. "I'm sure she'd love to finish your conversation."

Casey rolled his eyes. "You know I love you and only you." He told her and she nodded.

"Oh, I know," She told him. "But that doesn't mean you wouldn't want a little something on the side," She winked and then turned to Molly. "Let's go, Mol." She said, walking away and Casey sighed loudly.

"Jade, don't be a bitch, please." He said and she turned around to shoot him a look.

"See you later, Casey," She smirked, as she continued to walk away.

He groaned and turned the other way, heading for the gym.

Walking in, he saw Jared working on one of the machines.

"Hey, Jared," He greeted and Jared nodded.

"What's up?" He asked, getting off and wiping his face with a towel.

"Jade's being a bitch again," He said and Jared laughed. Casey shook his head. "I don't get what her deal is… She sees me talking to a girl and flips out!" He said and Jared looked at him.

"Right, like you don't react the same way when she talks to a guy," He said and Casey looked at him. "Don't even pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about." He laughed and Casey rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," He sighed and then looked at Jared. "What's up with you, man? Where the hell were you all summer?" He asked and Jared laughed.

"I dunno," He shrugged. "I was pretty much everywhere, 'cept I spent the better half of the summer with Sophia…" He trailed and Casey looked at him.

"Sophia? Sophia Mendoza?" He asked and Jared nodded. "She got hot over the summer," He said and Jared shook his head, defensively. "What? You like her or something?"

Jared laughed. "No, well… I don't know, it's weird," He shrugged. "She's more like a little sister but just something about her… I dunno, like I said, it's weird." He said and Casey nodded.

"Yeah, you definitely like her," He said and Jared laughed. "But don't you like… share a sister?"

Jared nodded. "That's why it's so weird," He said. "But I dunno, man, she's pretty special to me." He said and Casey nodded.

"You should go for it," He encouraged. "She's hot; I wouldn't let that slip by, even if we did share a sister."

Jared laughed and shook his head. "I don't think our parents would be too happy about it though."

Casey shrugged. "Then go for her little friend, Andria, she's hot too, maybe even hotter cause she's blond," He said and Jared laughed. "Whatever, man, just promise me you'll get someone this year? The whole 'flying solo' didn't work out for you too much last year." He said and Jared nodded, laughing.

"Well, I guess we'll have to see what happens." He said and Casey nodded.

"It's gonna be a good year, bro," He said, pounding his fist into Jared's.

Jared nodded. "I hope so."

* * *

"Okay, Andy, you ready?" Ethan asked, turning to Andrew.

"I guess," Andrew nodded with the drumsticks in his hands.

"Okay, one, two, one, two, three!" Ethan shouted as they started to play.

After a few minutes of playing, the door of the garage flew open and in came Jade.

"You guys are horrible!" She shouted and they stopped playing. "You've been practicing all freaking summer and I haven't said a word but you suck!" She told them. "If I hear that stupid song one more time, my head is going to explode!" She shouted and Ethan's mouth fell open.

"Whoa, pretty harsh," Andrew said, folding his arms over his chest.

"That's what you have to expect if you ever want to be famous, you dork," She said, glaring at him. "Maybe practice, individually and maybe get a new lead singer? Sorry baby bro, but that voice of yours… not so great!" She said and Ethan sighed.

"Are you done?" He asked and she nodded, smiling.

"Just… don't play, ever again!" She said. "At least, until you get better." She said, smiling sweetly. "Okay, bye!" She said, quickly exiting the garage.

"Your sister's a bitch," Andrew said, when Jade was out of sight and Ethan laughed. "But she has a point, we do suck."

"No we don't," He shook his head. "Jade just can't accept the fact that I'm actually better at something than she is." He said and Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Okay, fine, we suck." He said and Andrew laughed.

"Maybe we do need a new singer…" He trailed and Ethan looked at him. "Sorry but she was right, your voice isn't that good." He said and Ethan sighed. "We could have an audition or something, it wouldn't be so bad," He said and Ethan nodded. "We're a two man band, we need at least another person to make it seem normal."

"I guess," Ethan shrugged as he sat on the couch, defeated.


	3. Little Brothers

**A/N:** Hm, only one review last chapter :( I really hope people are still reading this and if they aren't then I probably won't update anymore which makes me really sad because I LOVE writing this series and I have so many things I can't wait to right so if you ARE reading this, PLEASE review and let me know! It's really frustrating getting so many hits but so little reviews... Special thanks to galindapopular who has pretty much reviewed every single chapter since the first story, you motivated me to write this chapter so, thank you!

* * *

"Mm, that was really good," Gabrielle smiled, snuggling up to Ryan's side.

He smiled, pulling her closer to him. "Yeah," He whispered and she looked up at him. "Listen, Gaby," He started. "This summer has been… the most incredible time of my life," He said and she laughed. "And there's something I've been meaning to tell you,"

She took a deep breath. "Okay," She nodded, looking into his eyes.

He smiled nervously. "Well, I, uh…" He started and she gave him an encouraging nod. "I…"

He was interrupted though, by the sounds of the front door opening.

Gabrielle's eyes widened and she quickly sat up. "Oh my God!" She said, bringing her hand to her mouth. "That _has_ to be my mom!" She said and Ryan looked at her. "You have to go!" She told him, pushing him out of the bed. "She'll see us and everything will be ruined!" She said, and he quickly put his clothes back on.

"Okay, okay," He said, worriedly. "How do I get out of here without getting caught?" He asked and she brought her hand to her head.

"Um," She started, thinking of something. "Just… climb out the window!" She suggested and he gave her a look. "It's not _that _far down," She told him and he gave her a look. "Ryan, just do it, please, before we get caught!"

He sighed and nodded, making his way over to the window. She helped him open it and pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt.

"What you were going to say before…" She smiled.

He nodded. "I promise I'll say it to you, properly, next time we see each other, okay?" He said and she nodded, giving him and quick kiss and then shoving him out the window.

"Good luck!" She said, smiling. "Don't hurt yourself." She teased and he gave her a look. She giggled.

"You're very lucky I lo-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" She interrupted. "Next time, remember?" She smiled.

He nodded. "Right," He smiled. "Next time, I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded. "Now hurry!" She said and he tried his best to climb down the house and sighed, relieved, when he finally made it to the ground.

He looked up at Gabrielle's window and quickly waved, before getting ready to turn around.

"Ryan?"

Ryan quickly spun around and froze when he saw Jared.

"What are you doing here?" He asked and Ryan felt his palms start to sweat.

"Uh," Ryan started. "I just… wanted to see if you wanted to hang out?" He quickly lied and Jared raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," He said, slowly. "We're just about to have dinner so… why don't you come join us?"

"Um, sure," Ryan said, awkwardly, following Jared back into the house.

"Mom?" Jared called, as they walked into the kitchen. "Um, Ryan's staying for dinner, is that okay?"

Julie looked up from where she was currently setting the table and nodded. "Of course," She smiled. "Gaby's joining us too," Julie said and Ryan quickly looked up at her. "She decided she's going to stay here for a couple more days before going to Luis'." Julie explained and Jared nodded.

"Cool," He said, walking over to the table and Ryan followed him. "As long as we have some good food," He said and Julie laughed. "Where's Andy?"

"He's staying over at Ethan's," She told him. "You know, they have that whole band thing going on," She said and Jared nodded. "Their getting better," She said and Jared laughed.

"Yeah, right," He said and Julie shot him a look but he simply shrugged.

"Hello little brother!" Gabrielle said, in a sing-song voice, coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. She froze when she saw Ryan sitting beside Jared. "Oh," She quickly said. "I didn't know we had company."

"Yeah, I, uh… just wanted to hang with Jared for a bit, since we didn't see each other much at school today," Ryan explained, awkwardly and Gabrielle nodded.

"Whatever," She said, sitting down across from him. "What's for dinner?"

* * *

Casey Reed was on his way to the Germaine house to properly apologize to Jade for the way he had acted that day at school, when a car pulled up next to him.

He groaned when he saw that the driver was Connor Riley, his biggest rival.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked and Connor smirked.

"Just wanted to let you know I gave your girlfriend a little shoulder to cry on today," He winked and Casey glared at him. "She figured since you were busy flirting with other girls, you wouldn't mind me comforting her."

Casey tightened his fists. "You've been at this for too long, Riley," Connor said. "She doesn't want you and she never will, so how about you stay the hell away from her?"

Connor laughed. "If she didn't want me, then she wouldn't have come to me, Casey," He said and Casey tightened his jaw, trying his hardest to contain his anger. "But you don't have to worry about me going after her," He said. "I've already got something going on with… your sexy as hell sister, Jennifer." He winked and that was when Casey lost it.

Before he could get out of the car though, Connor sped off, leaving Casey there, angrier than ever. He quickly drove to the Germaine's and knocked on the door.

"Oh, it's just you," Jade said, playfully, when she opened the door. Casey's breathing was heavy and Jade became worried. She took a step closer to him and closed the door behind her. "Casey, what's wrong?" She asked, immediately.

He looked up at her. "I just can't stand him!" Casey said and Jade looked at him, curiously. "Connor, he just… he thinks he can have you but he can't because, you're mine and it just gets me so… so angry!" He said and Jade nodded, sitting him down.

"It's okay, baby," She said, cupping his head in her hands. "You're fine now, I'm right here, just calm down." She told him and he nodded. "Deep breaths, okay?" She said, with a smile and he nodded.

A couple moments later, he looked up at her and sighed. "I'm so sorry, babe," He started. "I was an idiot today and shouldn't have been such an ass…"

She nodded. "It's okay," She smiled. "Are you okay now?" He nodded and she kissed him. "Well, good."

He smiled. "Thank you," He whispered. "For calming me down… I wouldn't be able to do that without you," He said and she looked away, shyly. It was very rare for Casey to ever actually open up to her like he was doing, but she loved when he did. "I love you." He smiled and she kissed him.

"I love you too," She nodded. "Want to come inside? Me and Molly were just about to watch a movie." She told him.

He smiled. "Sounds great," He said, wrapping his arms around her as they walked back into the house.

* * *

"It was really nice of Jared to invite us over," Andria smiled, as she and Sophia walked over to the Portmans.

Sophia looked over at her. "Yeah, it was," She nodded.

"You brought a bathing suit, right?" Andria asked. "I mean, he said we'd maybe get to go swimming later and that would be really great cause I got the most amazing tan in Europe and…" She stopped when she noticed Sophia wasn't really paying attention. "Hey," She said, stopping her. "Where are you tonight?"

Sophia sighed. "Sorry," She said, shaking her head. "I've just been thinking, about a lot of stuff lately." She shrugged.

"What kind of stuff?" Andria asked, concerned.

"Just stuff," She shrugged and continued walking.

"Okay…" Andria said, as they finally arrived at Jared's. "I'm really excited!" Andria smiled. "Jared's so sweet and… maybe something'll happen." She smiled and Sophia nodded, ringing the doorbell.

"Hey Soph!" Dean greeted, opening the door. He crouched down and hugged her, letting both girls in. "Hello Andria." He smiled and she smiled back.

"Hi, Mr. Portman," She smiled and he laughed.

"That makes me sound old," He said. "Please, call me Dean."

"Okay," She nodded. "Hi Dean."

He smiled. "I'll go get Jared for ya," He said, walking up the stairs.

"Dean's really nice," Andria whispered, turning to Sophia. "I now know where Jared gets it from." She smiled and Sophia nodded.

"Hey girls," Jared smiled, walking down the stairs, shirtless.

Sophia had to stop her jaw from dropping. She couldn't believe how built he was. Even though they had spent a lot of the summer together, they hadn't once gone swimming and now she regretted not going.

"Hey," Andria said, with a smile. "Damn, Portman, you're looking good!" She said and he laughed.

"Thanks," He said. "You're not so bad yourself," He winked and she laughed. He looked at Sophia. "Are you not coming swimming?"

"Nope," She shook her head. "I'll just sit and watch you guys or something," She said and Jared nodded, disappointed.

"Well," Andria said, taking Jared's hand and pulling him towards the patio door. "I guess we'll have to have all the fun without you, then," She smiled as she and Jared made their way outside.

Sophia sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as she followed them outside. After a few minutes of watching Jared and Andria flirting non-stop in the pool, Sophia was joined by Dean.

He sat down next to her and she smiled politely at him.

He gave her a look. "You like my son, don't you, Sophia?" He asked and she immediately looked at him.

"What? No!" She quickly said, feeling her face get hot.

He laughed. "Stubborn, jus like your mom," He said and she sighed, lowering her eyes. "It's okay if you do, you know that, right?"

She shook her head. "I don't," She said and he gave her look. "Okay, even if I did," She started. "It wouldn't matter anyway because he clearly doesn't return the feeling," She said, gesturing to Jared picking up Andria and throwing her in the water.

Dean shrugged. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." He said and Sophia looked at him. "You're a sweet kid, Soph," He smiled. "Don't give up on him just yet." He said and she nodded as he kissed her head. "See you later," He smiled and she nodded, turning her attention back to Jared and Andria as she jealously watched them.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Germaine house, Molly Riley was in the middle of watching the movie that she and Jade were supposed to be watching, but found herself all alone while Jade and Casey made out in her bed.

She sighed, loudly, as the movie continued.

"You look kind of bored,"

She quickly looked up and saw Jade's younger brother, Ethan, walking down the stairs and towards her.

"Yeah," Molly nodded. "Watching Mean Girls isn't as fun when Jade isn't around," She shrugged and Ethan nodded.

"Well, would you mind if I joined you?" He asked and she looked at him.

"You want to watch Mean Girls?" She asked, holding in a laugh.

He laughed. "Yeah, it's not so bad, plus… there's plenty of hot girls," He teased and she rolled her eyes, laughing.

He took a seat next to her and she smiled at him, noticing how cute his hair was curly and wondering why she had never noticed him before.


	4. Tutor Girl

**A/N: **Thanks again for reviewing and thanks to galindapopular for the info! Hope you all enjoy this chapter... I'm trying to go really slow with this story, instead of the others which were around 16-22 chapters, this one will be much, much longer than that because I have so much that I wanna do with these characters, so I hope you're all ready for that! Please review because it inspires me!

* * *

"What about this one?" Molly asked Jade and Jennifer as she pulled a blue dress from the hanger.

Jade grimaced. "No, blue is definitely not your color," She said, putting the dress back and picking up a similar one, in green. "This one is perfect; it'll make your eyes stand out." She said and Molly raised an eyebrow. "Trust me, Mol, I know stuff, okay?"

Molly laughed and nodded as she headed into the dressing room.

"Oh my God," Jennifer whispered and Jade looked at her.

"What?" She said, walking over to her best friend and smiled when she saw what Jennifer was currently staring at. "He's here alone," Jade said and Jennifer looked at him. "You should definitely go talk to him!"

"Really?" Jennifer said, looking back. "I mean… I don't want to seem too desperate."

"Oh, please," Jade said, with an eye roll. "He's coming this way, go!" She said, pushing her out of the store.

Jennifer was unable to react as she bumped into Aidan. "Sorry!" She said, immediately and he held onto her so she wouldn't fall.

"It's alright," He smiled and she felt herself blush. "How are you?"

"I'm great," She smiled. "What about you?"

"I'm good," He said and she nodded. "Listen, I was wondering if I'd still be able to take you up on your offer? You know, your sister tutoring me…" Her eyebrows raised and he scratched his head. "My mom's been driving me crazy about getting my grades up and I could really use the help,"

"She'd love to," She grinned, excitedly. "I'll let her know tonight and make sure she calls you," She said and he nodded.

"Thanks, this means a lot to me," He said and quickly kissed her cheek. She immediately blushed and he smiled. "Well, I'll see you later." He said and she nodded.

"Bye." She said, almost breathless, as she watched him walk away.

"Oh my God!" Jennifer heard Jade from behind her. She turned around to see Jade and Molly walking towards her. "You totally like him and he totally likes you!" She said, excitedly. "This is so exciting!" She squealed and Jennifer blushed.

"Our little Jenny's growing up!" Molly laughed, and Jennifer put her hands in front of her face to hide her blushing as they continued walking.

* * *

"I mean, how _hot _is he?" Andria said to Sophia, who simply rolled her eyes, as they walked to Andria's. "Everything he does just makes me… melt! And he's the sweetest too! He like, opens the door for me, holds my books… no guy has ever done that for me before!" She said, happily, but Sophia didn't seem to be listening. "Hello? Earth to Soph!"

Sophia looked at her. "Sorry," She said, quickly. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Like what? You've been out of it all day." She said and Sophia shrugged. "Is it because I'm hanging out with Jared? I mean… I know you two were close but, it doesn't bother you does it?"

Sophia rolled her eyes. "No, it has nothing to do with Jared." She said and Andria raised an eyebrow. "Whatever, I'm just gonna go home, if that's okay?" She asked. "I'm suddenly not feeling too well."

Andria bit her lip, wondering what was going on with her best friend. "Okay," She nodded. "Promise you'll call me later and tell me what's wrong?"

Sophia rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong," She said and Andria looked at her. "I'm just worried about school and stuff, okay? I promise it's nothing." She said and Andria nodded.

"Well, call me later anyway," She said. "Mystery boy sent me another letter and I want to read it to you!" She said, excitedly and Sophia nodded.

"Can't wait." She smiled, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible. Andria smiled and hugged her, then turned the other way to go home.

Sophia went the other way and a couple minutes later froze when she saw Jared jogging her way. He had his iPod plugged in but she knew very well that he saw her. She tried to look the other way, in hopes that he wouldn't walk over to talk to her, but he did.

"Hey Soph!" He said, with a smile, as he ran over to her. He took out one of his headphones and she gave him a quick nod, trying to get past him but he wouldn't let her. "What's up?"

"Nothing," She said. "I'm just going home."

"Why don't I walk you?" He asked and she looked up at him. "I miss your mom." He confessed and she forced a smile.

"Well, she's not home yet so…" She trailed, walking away but he followed her.

"Well, we can hang out then, no?" He asked and she stopped to look up at him. "We haven't done that in a while." He said and she shrugged.

"I'm not really feeling well, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea." She said and he frowned.

"What's wrong?" He asked and she lowered her eyes. "You've been acting weird ever since you and Andria came over…" He trailed and she looked at him. "Did my dad say something to you?"

"No," She said. "It's nothing – you don't have to worry about me."

He nodded slowly. "Okay," He said. "Will I be seeing you at the dance Friday?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Maybe, if Andria finds a way to convince me to go," She said and he nodded.

"Um, I was wondering if you'd maybe… like to go with me? As my date?" He asked and she stared at him, not knowing what to say.

She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why don't you ask Andria? You know, since you two have been hanging out so much lately?" She said, coldly and then walked away.

He didn't follow her this time, instead he turned around and walked the other way, finding himself standing in front of Andria's house.

He walked over and rang the doorbell, Andria happily answered.

"Hey you!" She smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"I want to go to the dance with you," He said and her eyes widened. "I want you to be my date." He breathed and she smiled. "Will you go with me?"

She smiled. "Of course!" She said, happily and he grinned.

"Great," He smiled. "So, I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Sure," She nodded and he smiled, walking away.

* * *

As Jade and Molly returned from the mall, Jade grimaced when she saw a long line up of people with musical instruments outside her house.

"What the hell is this?" She said, pushing past the people as she and Molly walked into the garage. "Ugh, Ethan!" She shouted, annoyed. "What the hell are all these band geeks doing outside our house?"

He looked up at her. "We're holding an open audition, Jade," he said and she crossed her arms over her chest. "You know, since our band _sucks_." He said and Molly laughed. He looked at her and smiled. "Hey, Molly." He said, causing her to blush.

"Oh, hi, Ethan." She said, awkwardly and Jade looked at her.

"Since when do you two talk?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Since you left her alone to watch a movie while you made out with Casey last time she was over." Ethan said and Jade rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," She said, sitting down on the couch next to Andrew. "Mind if we watch?"

"Not at all," Andrew said, with a wink and Jade grimaced.

"Okay, ew," She said, pushing him off the couch.

Ethan laughed and looked over at Molly. "Why don't you sit next to me, Molly?" He asked and she looked at him, then at Jade, who gave her a warning glare.

"Uh, I think I'll sit with Jade," She said. "I wouldn't want Andy to get beat up by Casey for hitting on her." She winked, sitting next to Jade.

He shrugged and they continued to watch the auditions until Nora came over.

"Hi baby!" She said, walking into the garage.

Molly watched as Nora walked over to Ethan. Her eyes widened when she kissed him, not knowing he had a girlfriend.

"Hey, sweetie," He said, awkwardly as he quickly glanced over at Molly then back at Nora. He smiled. "I'm so happy you came."

She smiled back and sat next to him as he wrapped his arm around her.

Jade raised an eyebrow and noticed Molly's hurt expression so she quickly stood up. "This is boring," She said and Molly looked up at her. "Let's ditch these losers." She said, taking Molly by the hand as they exited the garage.

"Ugh, I hate the way Molly follows her around like a puppy," Nora said, with an eye roll and Ethan looked at her.

"Molly's actually really nice, okay?" He said, defensively and Nora raised an eyebrow. He shook his head and looked forward. "Next, please?"

* * *

Melanie sat in her bedroom doing homework. She loved school but it was the first week and teachers were already assigning homework? She couldn't believe it.

She sighed, putting her pencil down for a break and almost jumped when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" She said, expecting it to be Nora.

"Hi, uh… is this Melanie Reed?" A man's voice said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Um, yeah," She started. "Who's this?"

"Aidan… Banks," He said quickly. "Jen said you could tutor me?"

She sighed. "Oh, right," She said, looking down at her tutoring schedule. "Well, before I can agree to tutor you," She started. "You have to promise to be serious about this. I like getting paid but I don't like wasting my time with people who don't give a shit." She said and he was surprised.

"Um, yeah, I'm serious," He mumbled. "Bad grades equal no soccer and no soccer… well, let's just say I probably wouldn't be able to live without it." He said and she nodded.

"I'm available tomorrow after school, can you do that?"

"Uh, yeah," He said. "I mean, I don't think I have soccer practice but with Coach, you never know," He said and she nodded.

"Okay, see you then," She said, about to hang up but then Jennifer's head popped in her room.

"Is that Aidan?" She whispered, excitedly.

"Yes," Melanie said, rolling her eyes.

Jennifer smiled. "Okay, well, tell him I say hi! Please?"

"Jennifer says hi," Melanie said, into the phone and Aidan smiled.

"Tell her I say hi back and… can't wait to see her tomorrow." He said and Melanie rolled her eyes.

She turned to her sister. "He says hi back and can't wait to see you tomorrow." She repeated and Jennifer squealed.

"Okay, tell him-"

"What do I look like, a freaking messenger?" Melanie interrupted and Jennifer raised an eyebrow. "If you have something to say to him, why don't you just call him?" She suggested and Jennifer narrowed her eyes at her. Melanie brought the phone back to her ear and sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow after school." She said and quickly hung up.

"Thanks for doing this, Melly, really!" Jennifer said, walking over to her sister and hugging her. "It really means a lot to me… he means a lot to me." She said with a smile and Melanie nodded.

"I know he does," She smiled. "Sorry if I'm being a brat," She said and Jennifer laughed.

"Only a little," She winked and walked out.

Melanie shook her head and laughed, then sighed as she got back to her homework.


	5. What Could Have Been

A/N: Okay, so no one reviewed last chapter :( which makes me really said because I'm working really hard on this story and I'm just about ready to give up if no one's going to review... so PLEASE, if you're actually reading this, review or I'll probably just delete this story cause there's no point in updating if no one's reading...

* * *

Melanie sat, angrily, in the library as she waited for Aidan. He was almost over an hour late and Melanie knew she should have known better.

She sighed loudly and quickly stood up, walking to the exit of the library.

"Sorry!" Aidan said, jogging towards her. She gave him a look. "I'm sorry, I had practice and I… I forgot, I'm sorry."

She nodded and sighed, walking back into the library and he followed her.

"So, let's get started," She said and he sat down.

"Hey, just wondering," He said and she looked up at him. "Who will you be going to the dance with tonight?"

She raised an eyebrow. "No one," She replied. "Not that It's any of your business." He laughed and she looked up at him. "I'm guessing you're going with Jen, right?"

He nodded. "I haven't officially asked her yet, though," He said and Melanie nodded, writing down some problems for him. "I was wondering if… we could maybe cut this session short?" He asked and she looked up. "I mean, cheerleading practice just ended and I want to catch Jen before she leaves,"

Melanie sighed. "I don't think that's possible, you said you were serious about this, Aidan," She said and he nodded.

"I am but… this is really important," He said and Melanie sighed, remembering how much Aidan meant to Jennifer.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine," She said and he smiled. "But this is the first and last time this happens, okay?"

He grinned, standing up. "Thank you," He said. "You might be the best little sister ever!" He said, running out of the library and she laughed, watching him go.

* * *

Ryan and Gabrielle sat in his car, as Gabrielle waited for Ryan to say something.

She looked at him, staring at the steering wheel and sighed, loudly.

"I'm sorry," He said and she shook her head. "I know there was something you wanted me to say…" He trailed and she looked up at him. "I just… I don't know if I'm ready to say it yet."

She nodded. "That's okay," She said and he looked at her. "I don't think I'm ready either," She admitted and he smiled, kissing her. "But that, I'm totally ready for." She grinned, kissing him back.

He climbed on top of her and continued kissing her.

"I think you should skip the dance," She said, in between kisses. "A night of this sounds much more fun than a night with a bunch of girls you don't even like, right?" She asked, unbuckling his belt.

He grinned. "You know it." He breathed, kissing her as he pulled her top off.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the dance, Ethan watched as Jade and Molly danced to the music. Molly looked incredible in her green dress and Ethan couldn't help but smile when he saw her blush as she caught his eye.

He waved at her and she shyly waved back until he felt someone tugging on his arm.

"Ethan," Nora smiled. "Come dance with me."

He sighed. "Nora, you know I don't dance," He said and she pouted. He groaned. "Oh fine." He said, getting up.

She smiled and kissed him as she pulled him onto the dance floor. "There's something you need to know," She whispered in his ear.

He looked at her. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

She smirked and pulled him closer. "I'm ready," She whispered and he raised an eyebrow. "I want to make love to you."

He pulled away and stared into her eyes. "Really? You mean it?" She nodded, smiling. He smiled back and kissed her. "That's… amazing, Nora," He said, kissing her again and she laughed.

* * *

While Jade and Molly continued dancing, Jade felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around her waist and smiled, thinking it was Casey, as she spun around. Her smile turned into a smirk when she realized it was Connor.

"Hey you," He winked, bringing his hands to her waist as he pulled her closer to him.

"Hey _you_," She said back, smiling. "I didn't know you came to dances." She winked and he laughed.

"Only for you, baby," He said and she smirked as they started dancing along to the music.

Casey saw this from the table he was sitting at and immediately stood up, walking over to the pair.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Riley?" Casey asked, pulling Jade away from Connor and punching him in the face.

"Casey!" Jade exclaimed, watching as the two men began fighting.

The principal stomped over and pulled the two apart.

"You two are both out!" He said and the two walked off in different directions out of the school.

Jade stood there, speechless. "I can't believe that just happened!" She exclaimed and Molly looked at her.

"I'll go find my brother," She said. "You should go make sure Casey's alright," Molly said and Jade nodded.

"Okay, we'll meet back here when the dance is over… or you can just call me whenever you feel like leaving."

Molly nodded and Jade walked outside, searching for Casey.

"Casey!" She shouted when she saw him leaning against the brick wall. She walked towards him, groaning when she felt the rain pouring on her, ruining her hair and dress. "Why do you always have to ruin my fun?" She asked and he looked at her then back down at his knuckles, which were bleeding. "Oh, Casey!" She said, holding his hands in hers.

"I punched a wall," He admitted, shrugging and Jade sighed.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you?" She asked, coldly. "I mean, you've been acting like this for the past couple of weeks and I'm really worried about you," She said and he looked away. "Casey, don't do this…"

He sighed, standing up. "Whatever," he said, starting to walk away.

"Please don't shut me out, I hate when you do that!" She said and he spun around.

"How can I not, Jade?" He asked and she raised her eyebrows. "Stop trying to be my mother and maybe I won't have to push you away!" He said, coldly.

Jade frowned. "Fine!" She shouted. "Have fun walking home in the rain, I hope you get electrocuted!" She said, angrily, as she stormed back into the school.

Casey shook his head and rolled his eyes as he began walking home.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jennifer and Aidan were having the best time. Aidan was being the perfect gentlemen; he hadn't spent one moment with his friends and stayed by her side the whole night, which is exactly what Jen wanted; time alone with Aidan.

"Are you having fun?" He asked and she nodded, smiling.

"Probably the best time I've ever had at one of these lame dances," She said and he laughed.

"Listen, Jen," he said, coming closer to her. "It's been really great getting to know you and…" He trailed, looking into her eyes. "I'm going to kiss you now, if you're okay with it, and if you're not, you can push me away and you won't have to speak to me ever again but if you are okay with it, well…" He trailed and she smiled, indicating for him to kiss her, which he did and Jennifer had never been so happy before in her life.

He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Was that okay?" He asked and she laughed.

"More than okay," She smiled, kissing him back.

* * *

"Boys suck!" Sophia said, sitting down next to Andrew at one of the tables. He looked at her, an eyebrow raised and she sighed. "Fine, not all boys, but most of them!"

He laughed. "What boy broke your heart this time, Soph?" He asked and she glared at him. "What? Whenever you say 'boys suck' it means a boy did something to piss you off,"

"Yeah, and he did." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and he looked at her. "I will not tell you which boy though."

"Aw come on, Soph," He said, looking at her. "You're practically like my sister… please?" She shook her head and he sighed. "Fine," He said, folding his arms over his chest. "Well, whoever this boy is, is probably an idiot," He said and Sophia laughed as she looked over to the dance floor where Jared and Andria were currently dancing.

"I can't believe she got him to dance, Jared never dances!" She mumbled and Andrew looked at her. Sophia forced a smile. "You know what? I think I'm gonna go get some fresh air," She said, still staring at Jared and Andria.

Andrew tried to see what she was looking at and was surprised when he finally knew. "You like Jared?!" He asked and she quickly put her hand over his mouth.

"If you repeat that to ANYONE, I'll hunt you down and make sure your death is very, very painful!" She said and he nodded, pretending to be scared. She removed her hand and smiled. "Thanks, Andy." She said and he shrugged.

"Anything for you," He said and she bit her lip, smiling. "I guess it does suck when the person you like is oblivious and goes for someone close to you, huh?"

She nodded. "Tremendously sucks!" She said and he laughed. She watched as Andria kissed Jared's cheek and that was when she had enough. "I'm gonna be outside, just… don't tell him, promise?"

Andrew nodded. "Promise."

She smiled. "Thanks Andy, you're the best!" She said, kissing his cheek and then ran out of the hall.

Andrew shook his head as Jared walked over to him.

"Where'd Sophia go?" He asked and Andrew looked at him.

"You, big brother, are a big idiot," Andrew said, placing a hand on his brother's shoulders. Jared raised an eyebrow. "Go after her," He said. "You know how she feels about you… just go."

Jared looked at him and then back at Andria, who was talking to Nora.

"Go," Andrew urged and Jared looked back at him, not knowing what to do.


	6. Blackout

**A/N:** Yay! Thank you for the reviews, they made me smile :) I hope you liked this chapter, I worked super hard on it and it's longer than usual but there's a lot going on! Oh, and since there were a couple questions in the reviews, I decided to answer them here instead of PMing you:

**pylea: **there's a character list with pictures and bios on my page if you'd like to check that out.

**galindapopular:** I figured that's why you didn't review lol. thanks again for always reviewing!

Hope you all like this chapter :)

* * *

Jared walked around the school hallways, searching for Sophia. He had no idea why he was even doing this, she had been acting like such a bitch towards him lately, but she was important to him and if she was mad at him, he wanted to fix it.

"Soph?" He called, looking into one of the classrooms but she wasn't there. He sighed loudly and almost jumped when he saw that all of the lights in the school went out. He looked outside to see that it was pouring rain and obviously there was a problem with the electricity because he heard the music stop too. He groaned. "Great, a black out," He mumbled, reaching into his pocket for his cell phone to use as a light.

"Sophia?" He groaned. "Where the hell are you?"

He stopped when he saw her sitting against a window, watching the rain.

"Why do you have to be such a drama queen, Soph?" He asked, walking over to him but she didn't respond. He sat down next to her. "Okay, what did I do?" He asked and she finally looked at him, curiously. "Okay, I have to have done something for you to be acting this way." He said and she shrugged, turning back to the window. He groaned. "Soph, please?"

She sighed and looked at him, adjusting herself so their shoulders were touching. "Why don't we just sit here and listen to the rain for a while?" She asked and he looked at her. "We can talk later but for now… just sit with me." She whispered and he nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as he pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder as they sat together in silence.

* * *

Andria stood scared on the dance floor with Nora as she waited for news from the principal. It was pitch black in the hall and everyone was freaking out.

"You think the lights'll go back on?" She asked but there was no response. "Nora? Nora, are you there?" She asked but she got nothing and groaned. "Great!" She mumbled. "Alone in the dark." She whispered and then felt someone's arms wrap around her waist.

She smiled, assuming it was Jared, and turned around to face him. Before she could speak, he interrupted her.

"You're safe in my arms." The boy whispered and she smiled as he pulled her into a hot, passionate kiss.

He pulled away and left, leaving Andria breathless.

* * *

Jennifer and Aidan had already sneaked off, away from the dance, outside.

"You sure you don't mind getting your dress all wet?" He asked, as she waited under an umbrella.

"Not at all," She smiled and he took her hand, guiding her towards his car. He smiled and threw her umbrella aside as he pushed her onto the car and kissed her gently.

She moaned and kissed him back, cupping his face in her hands as the kiss grew more and more heated.

"You're incredible," He whispered and she smiled. He reached for his belt and started to take it off. He gave her a curious look.

"I don't want things to move too fast," She quickly said and he smiled, nodding. "You're not mad?"

"Not at all," He smiled. "I mean, I would love to but… if you're not ready for that with me yet then, I'll wait." He smiled and she kissed him.

"You're such a gentlemen," She smiled. "I've never met a guy like you before," She said and he smiled, kissing her.

She took his head and led him into the car as they continued their make out session.

* * *

Ethan and Nora sneaked off into an empty classroom and were currently making out on one of the desks.

She reached for his belt buckle and he looked at her.

"I'm ready," She whispered in his ear and he nodded, taking off her dress.

She kissed him again, pealing off his shirt and throwing it onto the floor. She looked away, embarrassed, as he took off his pants. He laughed.

"And what is so funny?" He asked and she blushed.

"Nothing," She said, "I'm just a little nervous, that's all." She said and he nodded, kissing her.

"Me too," He confessed and she laughed. "Um, I don't really know what I'm supposed to do from here…" He trailed, staring at her as she sat before him in her bra and panties.

"Um," She started. "I think you're supposed to tell me you love me, now." She said and he looked up at her. "I know you've been wanting to for a while now… but you were scared, right?" She asked and he nodded. "Well, just say it, I promise you won't regret."

He smiled, kissing her. "I… love you." He said and she smiled.

"I love you too," She said and he smiled, relieved, as they continued making out. "I'm happy you're my first." She whispered.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sophia lay next to Jared as they continued to sit in silence.

"Can I talk now?" He asked and she nodded laughing. "When did you start liking me, Soph?" He asked and she gave him a weird look. "Don't even pretend like you don't… you're really bad at hiding how you feel," He joked and she laughed.

"I don't know," She shrugged. "The summer, I guess, when we started getting closer," She said and he nodded. "But Jared, I don't want you to feel obliged to feel the same way, I know it's kind of weird 'cause we're practically brother and sister but… I don't know, it's just how I feel."

He smiled as he put his hand on her chin, brining their lips together for a kiss. She sighed, helplessly, completely letting go but then she realized something and she quickly pulled away.

"What's wrong?" He asked, curiously and she sighed, looking away.

"You didn't say anything back," She mumbled, as she started gathering her things. She quickly stood up and walked away but Jared got up and followed her.

"What are you talking about, Soph?" He asked, following her.

She groaned and turned around. "Listen, Jared, I'm not like all those other girls you've slept with, okay? I'm not just some booty call." She said and he was surprised she was finally telling him how she really felt. "What I feel for you, it's real… really real and I can't believe you'd take advantage of my feelings like you just did," She said, shaking her head and he went to speak but she interrupted. "Don't even try to sweet talk your way out of this one, Jared, because it's not going to happen." She said, furiously walking out of the school and into the rain.

Jared frowned and followed her.

"Let me at least drive you home," He shouted, running after her but she just looked back and shook her head. "Sophia, please," He sighed, finally catching up to her. "Just let me drive you home, I won't try anything and definitely won't kiss you again… I just want to make sure you get home safe."

She narrowed her eyes at him and folded her arms over her chest. "Fine." She mumbled, climbing into his truck.

He smirked, satisfied, as he did the same.

* * *

After the lights had gone back on, and after Ethan and Nora had finished making love, Ethan was on his way to grab their things from his locker when he heard someone singing.

He raised eyebrow, turned the corner of the hall, and stopped when he saw Molly leaning against the stair railing as she sang.

He couldn't believe his ears. He had no idea she had such an incredible voice and stood there, dumbfounded, as she continued singing.

She quickly spun around and froze, bringing her hand to her heart when she saw Ethan watching her.

"Ethan!" She shouted, surprised. "What the hell? You scared the crap out of me!"

He smirked. "When were you going to tell me you had such an amazing voice?" He asked and she blushed looking away.

"I'm not even that good," She said, playing with her dress.

He scoffed. "'Not even that good'? Are you kidding me right now, Molly?" He asked and she looked up at him. "You're… amazing, flawless even," He told her and she laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm gonna go now," She smiled, walking past him and he watched her, still in complete shock that she was able to sing so well and wondered why she had never sung before.


	7. Explosion

**A/N: **Thanks for reviewing. I hope you all like this chapter and I'm half way done the other one so it might be up tonight, or tomorrow. I started my first exam today and have SEVEN more :( so I won't be updating as often but I will for sure try to squeeze in some chapters as I'm "studying" lol. Hope you like it!

* * *

It was Monday again and Andria walked through the halls to her locker, confused. She was almost certain it had been Jared who had kissed her that night at the dance but he hadn't called or texted her at all since then and she was getting worried. Had she done something to make him not like her anymore?

She shook her head and sighed, opening her locker. On top of her problems with Jared, Sophia wasn't talking to her either and she knew it was because of Jared. She groaned, knowing that a boy was definitely not worth ruining her friendship with Sophia.

"Hey, Andria," She heard someone say and she spun around.

"Oh, hey Jared," She smiled and he nodded.

"Listen, we gotta talk…" He trailed and she interrupted him.

"What's been up with you?" She asked. "I mean… you kissed me at the dance and then you like, disappear?"

"What?" Jared asked, confused. "I didn't kiss you at the dance?"

"Yes you did," She said, placing her hand on her hip. "When all the lights went off… you wrapped your arms around me and whispered 'you're safe now' and then you kissed me! It had to have been you, Jared, don't tell me it wasn't…"

"Wish I could say it was me, but it wasn't," He shrugged and she sighed. "Sorry, Andria."

"No, it's fine," She shook her head. "Where did you head off to then? I mean, I couldn't find you afterwards, everyone said you'd left…" She trailed and he looked away. "Pretty shitty date if you ask me." She teased, folding her arms over her chest.

He gave her a polite smile. "Uh, there was a thing with Sophia," He said and she looked up at him. "You know how she is, total drama queen," He said, with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, we got stuck in the rain and I just drove her home, didn't think there was a point in coming back because of the power outage and stuff."

"So, you thought it was okay to just leave me there, all alone?" She asked and he sighed. "I'm not mad, Jared, I'm just… confused."

"Yeah, me too, you have no idea." He said and she looked up at him. "Listen, I just… I don't think we work out together," He explained and she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," He quickly said. "But… my feelings lie elsewhere."

She nodded. "With Sophia?"

"I don't know," He shrugged. "I guess we'll have to wait and see? I mean, if she ever talks to me again."

"Oh no," Andria laughed. "What did you do?"

"I kind of, kissed her," He confessed and she gave him a look. "That was a pretty shitty thing to do to you, I'm sorry, but it just… happened, she told me how she felt and I kissed her."

"Because you feel the same way?"

"No, I mean, I don't know," He said. "Like I said, I'm very confused."

"Well, what did Sophia do when you kissed her?" Andria asked, curiously.

"She pushed me away and basically told me she wouldn't sleep with me," He explained and Andria laughed.

"Sounds like Sophia," She said and he nodded. "Well, I'm gonna go, I'll see you around?"

"Of course," He smiled. "I'm sorry for doing that to you, it was wrong and I know it."

She shook her head. "It's no problem, I've got a lot going on right now anyway," She said and he nodded, hugging her. She pulled away. "Good luck with Sophia."

He laughed. "Thanks and good luck with your mystery man."

She smiled. "Thanks," She said and watched him walk away. She turned back to her locker and saw there was another note on it.

She groaned, growing tired of whoever this person was. She didn't even bother reading the note she simply took a pen and paper and wrote a note herself.

_Who the hell are you? Are you the one that kissed me at the dance? Why can't you just tell me who you are?_

_- Andria_

She wrote, angrily, and stuffed it into the envelop. She stuck it back onto her locker and smiled, satisfied.

* * *

"So, best friend," Jennifer said, with a huge smile on her face, as she walked over to Molly at her locker.

"What?" Molly asked, turning to her.

"Aidan asked me out! Like, on a real date!" She said and Molly smiled. "Everything's going so good with him and… I'm just really happy!"

"I can tell," Molly laughed, closing her locker as they moved down the hall. "Does he know…"

"No," Jennifer shook her head. "I'm afraid to tell him."

Molly gave her a look. "Jen, you're going to have to tell him, you know how boys are!" She said and Jennifer nodded. "Aidan seems really into you and I'm sure it wouldn't bother him one tiny bit that you're a virgin." She said and Jennifer quickly put her hand over Molly's mouth.

"Don't say that too loud!" She said and Molly laughed as she removed her hand. "I don't want people to know, I like keeping them guessing." She winked and Molly laughed.

"Have you seen Jade today?" Molly asked.

Jennifer looked at her. "Nope, she's off somewhere making out with Casey," She said, rolling her eyes and then grimaced. "Those two have some serious issues," She said and Molly laughed. "But I love them both." She smiled as they walked into the cafeteria.

* * *

It was finally after school and Aidan walked over to the library to start his tutoring session with Melanie.

She smiled as he walked over to where she was sitting and sat down with her.

"So, guess what?" He said and she looked up at him, shrugging. "Your sister and I are going on a date this Friday." He winked and she nodded.

"That's great, I'm happy for you two," She said, wondering why he was telling her all this. "Can we get serious now? It's really important that you pass this semester or your mom will bite my head off," She joked and he laughed.

"So, I wrote a few problems down for you, try them out." She said and he nodded, taking out a pencil.

She checked her schedule for Friday and frowned, they had a tutoring session that night and Aidan was supposed to know that.

"Ugh, Aidan," She sighed and Aidan looked up at her.

"What, am I doing it wrong?" He asked, worriedly and she shook her head.

"No," She sighed. "Jen's going to hate me but," She mumbled. "You have to cancel your date on Friday."

"What? Why?"

"Because, you have tutoring, with me." She said.

"Well, can't we just cancel? Or have it earlier?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I have a life too," She reminded him. "And other students, who are actually taking this seriously, to tutor." She said and he groaned. "I'm sorry, I'm sure Jen will understand," She said and he looked at her. "Okay, maybe she won't but… too bad, school is way more important than relationships." She said and he looked at her.

"Oh really?" He said, angrily. "And you would know this how? I mean, have you ever even been in a relationship?" He asked and she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry, that was mean…" He trailed and she looked away. "I just, I really like Jen… she's gonna be pissed."

"Well, she'll have to deal with it!" Melanie said. "And, not that it's any of _your _business, but I _have _been in a relationship before!" She said, grabbing her things and storming out of the library leaving Aidan by himself while everyone stared at him.

* * *

Melanie angrily ran out of the library and headed for her locker.

"Melanie!" She heard someone shout and spun around. "You selfish bitch! Aidan just texted me telling me what you did!"

She groaned when she saw Jen storming her way.

"Jen, listen, I know you two have a date-"

"No!" Jen shouted. "Don't even try to explain yourself, because I don't want to hear your lies!" She shouted and Melanie raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't just let me be happy for once, could you?" She asked.

"Jen, it's not like that!"

"Whatever," Jen said, shaking her head. "Aidan's going on that date with me Friday night and if that means that he has to find another tutor, then he will!" She shouted and then stormed off.

Melanie sighed loudly and shook her head. She just couldn't wait to go home.


	8. The Plan

**A/N:** SO SO SOOO sorry for not updating in forever! I had my last week of exams this week and finished my last one today so as soon as I got home I wrote this chapter! I am now free of exams/school and summer has begun so I'll be updating a lot more often than usual. I hope you all like this chapter, the drama is starting...

* * *

"Ugh, I am _so _pissed right now!" Jennifer said, to Jade and Molly, as she walked up to them the next day.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked, worriedly.

"My sister is such a… bitch!" She said and Jade couldn't help but laugh. "It's like, every time Aidan and I plan a date he just _happens _to have tutoring with her! Coincidence much?" She groaned. "I swear, she's just trying to ruin yet another thing of mine." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, you know the only way to make her stop is to get her back." Jade said and Jennifer looked up at her.

"What do you mean?" Jennifer asked. Jennifer might have been a bitch but she was nothing compared to Jade.

Jade smirked, devilishly. "You'll see," She winked. "I already have a plan; we'll meet up at lunch to talk about it?" Jade said and the bell rang. "Okay, see you later!" She said, walking away and Jennifer gave Molly a look.

"Don't worry," She said. "It can't be _that _bad."

"It's Jade we're talking about here," Jennifer laughed. "It's always _that _bad."

* * *

"Hey," Andria said, walking over to Sophia's locker.

Sophia looked at her and forced a smile. "Hi."

"I'm sorry," They both said at the same time and then laughed.

"Come here," Andria said, pulling her best friend into a hug. "I'm sorry for going after Jared." She whispered.

"I'm sorry for being a bitch about it." Sophia said and Andria laughed, pulling away.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about anymore because… there's nothing going on between us, I promise." She said and Sophia looked at her. "I swear, we both decided on that yesterday." She said and Sophia nodded. "What's going on between you two?" She asked, smiling and Sophia looked away. "You like him, don't you?"

"I guess," Sophia shrugged and Andria smiled. "But there's nothing going on because he obviously doesn't feel the same way."

"I'm sorry," Andria said, hugging her again. "He's an idiot for not realizing what he could have," She smiled and so did Sophia.

"So, is that guy still sending you creepy letters?" Sophia asked, closing her locker.

"Yeah," Andria nodded. "I'm actually starting to think it's creepy too."

* * *

"Hey, baby," Casey greeted, seeing Jade across the hall. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. "Mm, I love when you greet me like that."

She giggled and kisses him again. She pulled away and turned around, spotting Zach.

"Oh, there's your brother," She laughed and he smirked, grabbing onto her hand. "Casey, don't, you know it's mean."

"What's mean? I have no what you're talking about." He smiled and Zach approached them.

"Hi Casey," He said nervously and then turned to Jade. "Hello Jade, you look really great this morning."

She smiled. "Thanks, Zach, that's sweet." She said and Casey rolled his eyes.

"Come on, babe," He said, tugging on Jade's hand. "Let's go make out in the locker room, like you promised?" He said and she narrowed her eyes at him. He turned to Zach. "See you around, little brother." He said, pulling Jade away, leaving Zach to watch them jealously.

* * *

It was finally lunch and Jennifer was anxious to meet up with Jade and Molly, to figure out this "plan" Jade had come up with.

She walked over to their usual table and sat down. Jade looked up at her, smiling.

"So, tell me about this incredible plan of yours," Jennifer said, as she took out her lunch and Jade smirked.

"Well," She started. "I'm going to have to warn you," She said, before she continued. "It's a little cruel, even for me," She explained and Jennifer bit her lip. "But if you _really _want to get back at Melanie… then this is the way to go."

Jennifer remembered all the times Melanie had stolen the limelight from her and how she was now trying to steal Aidan, and was convinced. "Tell me."

Jade smiled, mischievously. "It's not even that complicated, actually," She started. "We get Melanie to fall in love with Aidan and then…" Jade trailed, and Molly and Jennifer looked at each other. "He dumps her."

Jennifer smiled. "I like what I'm hearing." She nodded and Jade shrugged, smiling.

"There's one little problem though," Molly interrupted and both girls looked at her. "How are you going to get Aidan to go along with this?"

Jade bit her lip and then thought of something. "He doesn't know you're a virgin yet, right?" She asked and Jen shook her head. Jade smiled. "Well, hold off on having sex with him until the plan is complete," She said and Jennifer's eyes widened. "Aidan's crazy about you, he'll definitely be up for it." Jade nodded and Jen took a deep breath.

"I don't know…" Jen trailed. "It does seem a _bit _harsh."

Jade looked at her. "I guess so, but how else will you show Melanie that what's yours belongs to you, not her?" Jen shrugged and looked away. "Just think about it, okay?"

Jennifer nodded and the bell rang. "Ugh, class!" She said, standing up and throwing her lunch into the garbage. She stood up and started walking to her locker.

Jade got up too but stopped when she saw Molly going a different way.

"You coming, Mol?" She asked and Molly looked up at her.

"Nah, I'm gonna go this way if that's okay, I have some stuff to get from the office anyway," She said and Jade shrugged, walking away.

Molly went the other way and tugged on Ethan's arm.

He spun around and smile when he saw it was her.

"Hey you," He smiled and she blushed. "It's been a while since we've talked, how are you?"

"I'm great," She nodded. "How about you?"

"I'm good, I'm good," He said and she smiled. "How's that incredible voice of yours doing?" He asked and she looked at him, narrowing her eyes. "Come on, stop trying to deny it." He said and she sighed.

"I'm really not as great as you think I am, Ethan," She said and he looked at her. "Really, I'm not."

He shrugged. "Don't underestimate your capabilities, Molly." He said and she laughed.

"Big words," She teased, playfully hitting him, and he laughed. "I've gotta go to class," She said. "But I'll see you around?"

He nodded, smiling, watching her walk away.

Little did he know, Nora was also watching, very jealously.

* * *

Gabrielle walked into her father's house after meeting with Ryan and sighed, happily, as she placed her bag on the couch.

"Hey Gaby," Luis greeted from the kitchen and Gabrielle smiled up at him.

"Hey dad," She said, hugging him as he kissed her head.

"We need to talk, okay?" He said and she looked at him, curiously. "Just sit down, nothing bad, I promise." He said and she nodded, sitting down in the kitchen.

"What's going on, dad?" She asked and he looked at her.

"I just wanted to let you know that it's okay for you to have a boyfriend," He said and she raised an eyebrow. "If you're dating someone right now, I don't want you to think you can't bring him home to meet us, I'm totally okay with it." He told her and she raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," she said, slowly. "Well, I'm not dating anyone so, thanks but no thanks." She laughed and he nodded.

"Okay, well if you ever do-"

"I promise I'll bring him here, dad, okay?" She smiled and he nodded, kissing her cheek as she ran up the stairs.

She walked into her room and saw Sophia sitting on her bed.

"Hey Soph," She greeted, sitting down at her desk.

Sophia narrowed her eyes at her. "You _so _have a boyfriend."

Gabrielle looked at her younger sister. "What? No I don't."

"Mhm," She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Come on, Gaby, it's me, spill!"

Gabrielle laughed. "Sorry, Soph, I wish I could but I don't have a boyfriend." She shrugged and turned back to her computer.

Sophia narrowed her eyes and started walking to the door. "I'll figure it out, somehow." She said, walking out, and Gabrielle laughed.

"Have fun with that!" She shouted and then laughed.

* * *

Ryan and Nora were walking home from school and entered their house.

They were surprised to see both their parents sitting on the couch, obviously waiting for them.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?" He asked, setting his bag down on the floor.

Charlie looked at them. "Sit down, both of you," He said and Nora shot Ryan a worried look as they both did what they were told.

"What's going on?" Ryan asked again.

"Just let us explain, okay sweetie?" Lindsey said and Ryan nodded, slowly.

"There's something we both need to tell you," Charlie started. "And it's going to be a shock to you, but we've thought about it long and hard and we've decided it's what's best for this family." Charlie explained, looking at his confused children.

"Dad, can you just tell us what's going on?" Nora asked and Lindsey sighed, flipping her long blond hair behind her shoulder.

"What your father is trying to say, honey," She started. "Is that, things between us aren't working anymore, and we're… well, we're getting divorced."


	9. Making Plans

**A/N:** Thanks again for reviewing! Keep them coming :)

* * *

"Divorced?" Nora said, her eyes filling with tears. "No! You can't be…"

"I'm sorry, honey, it just… this is what's best for us." Charlie said and Ryan shook his head as Nora stormed upstairs, slamming the door of her room.

"Ryan," Lindsey reached out for him but he pushed her away, going upstairs too.

"Nora?" He said, walking into her room. She was cuddled up in a ball on her bed, crying. "Come on," He whispered as she got up and hugged him. "It's okay," He whispered. "It's going to be okay, as long as we have each other."

She nodded. "I can't believe this is happening to us," She sniffled and he shook his head. "What are we going to do?"

He looked down at her. "I don't know," He sighed. "But I promise I'm going to take care of you, okay? I'm always going to be here."

* * *

Jade knocked for what felt like the hundredth time on the Reeds' door.

The door finally swung open and it was Zach standing before her.

"Hi Zach," She smiled. "Is Casey home?"

He felt his palms starting to sweat and he knew whatever he said was going to sound stupid. "Uh… no, he isn't," He said, quickly. "He's at hockey practice."

"Oh, right," She nodded.

"You can stay here though," He said, pulling her inside. "I mean, he's going to be home any minute, anyway," He told her and she nodded, making her way to the couch.

"So, what's new with you, Zach?" She asked and he looked at her. "How's that robot thing of yours going?"

He couldn't even begin to try to formulate words and was so thankful when his best friend, Kevin, came running down the stairs.

"Zach, hurry up we're not even close to being…" He stopped when he saw Jade sitting on the couch. "Oh." He said and she smiled at him. "Uh, you come when you're ready." He said running back up the stairs into Zach's bedroom.

"What's taking him so long?" Lucy asked, looking up from their work in progress.

"Uh, Jade's here," Kevin said, sitting down and Lucy rolled her eyes. "You know he's all… mesmerized and whatever," He said, shaking his head and he nodded.

"I'm gonna go," She said and Kevin looked at her, curiously. "I have a lot of homework and stuff, you know?" She said and he nodded, slowly, as she walked towards the door. "I'll see you later, call me if there's anything, okay?"

He nodded, watching his sister leave.

She walked down the stairs, saw Jade and Zach having a conversation, and immediately became jealous.

"Oh, look it's… Lucy," Zach said, looking at her nervously then looking back at Jade.

"You're Molly's sister, right?" Jade asked and Lucy nodded, nervously.

"I'm gonna head home, okay Zach?" She said, picking up her bag.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Zach said as he continued staring at Jade.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him and groaned as she walked out of the house, angrily.

* * *

"Honey, I'm home!" Dean joked, in a singsong voice, as he walked into his house.

Julie laughed and looked up from the pasta she was currently making as he walked over and kissed her cheek.

"I'm glad," She smiled and he put his things down. "I wanted to talk to you about something, though," She said and he looked at her, curiously. She smiled. "Okay, do you remember that couple, Bob and Jane that we met a while back at one of Jared's soccer games?" She asked and Dean raised an eyebrow. "You remember! The ones with five kids and that huge, _huge _house? We ate dinner there once!"

"Ah, yes I remember," He nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

"Well," She started. "Jane called me the other day and told me she was pregnant again!" She smiled and Dean looked at her.

"Pregnant? Whoa, isn't she about your age, though?" He asked and she nodded.

"There isn't anything wrong with that," She said and Dean looked at her. "Plenty of women have babies after age forty," She informed him and he shrugged.

"I guess they do," He said. "Where are you going with this, Julie?" He asked and she smiled, walking over to him.

"Well, I was just thinking about it and I know you've always wanted a girl…" She trailed and he looked at her.

"Another baby?" He asked and she nodded, smiling. "Really, Jules? You think we can do that?"

"I do," She smiled. "We're in a really good place right now; we have two steady jobs, a beautiful house, great kids… I want to give you the baby girl you've always wanted, Dean." She smiled and he sighed.

"Julie, I just… this is pretty huge," He told her and she nodded.

"I know but, we've already been through hell and back… what could one more baby do?" She asked, smiling and he laughed.

"Okay, okay!" He said and her face light up. "We're… having another baby!" He said, happily, and she squealed, jumping into his arms.

"I love you so much, thank you!" She said, kissing him.

"I love you too," He smiled. "Just one problem…" He trailed, setting her down and she looked up at him. "How are we going to get this whole house to ourselves? That's practically impossible…"

Julie smirked. "See, I've already got it all planned out," She said and he raised an eyebrow. "I've booked us a romantic weekend up in the country for three days," She told him and he laughed.

"You knew I was going to say yes?" He asked and she nodded. He wrapped his arms around her. "I love you."

"I love you too," She smiled. "Now, all I have to do is call Luis and Livvie and ask them if Jared and Andrew can stay there for the weekend."

Dean looked at her. "What about Gaby? I mean, she's an adult… she can take care of them."

"Yes I know she can but her best friend from college is coming down to stay and she doesn't want any interruptions, you know, 'girls weekend', whatever," She said and Dean nodded. "I'm sure they won't mind, right? I mean, Jared and Andrew get along very well with Sophia, don't they?"

Dean laughed. "I don't know about that," He said and Julie raised an eyebrow. "Have you not seen what's been going on between those two?"

"Jared and Sophia?" She asked and Dean nodded. "No, what's going on?"

"I think they like each other, well, Sophia does anyway," He said and Julie raised an eyebrow. "Jared's a good boy, though, he'll behave, besides, he's already pissed her off enough at the dance, I don't even think their speaking right now." He laughed.

"And how do you know all of this?" Julie asked, curiously, reaching for the phone.

"That's my little secret," He said and Julie narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay, fine, Gaby told me everything." He said and she laughed as she began dialing the numbers.

* * *

"NO WAY!" Sophia shouted, after her parents told her Jared and Andrew would be staying at her house for the weekend.

"Sophia, it's just a few days," Livvie said but Sophia wouldn't take it.

"Andrew, I don't mind, but Jared? I don't want that stupid jerk anywhere near me!" Sophia said and Luis smiled.

"Okay, then it's settled, no teenage boys staying here." Luis said, satisfied, but Livvie shot him a look.

"Jared and Andrew are practically family, Luis," She reminded him. "Julie and Dean asked us this as a favor and we're going to do it!" She said and Luis groaned, standing up and walking out of the room.

Livvie stood up and walked over to her daughter.

"Look, sweetie, I know you like Jared," She said and Sophia looked up at her. "Let me tell you something about the Portman men: their _very _stubborn and have the hardest time telling someone how they feel," She explained and Sophia nodded. "Jared will wake up and realize what he wants, okay? You just have to give him a little time."

Sophia shook her head. "I doubt it," She said, getting up and walking into her room.

* * *

"Hey babe!" Gabrielle said to Ryan over the phone. "So, my mom and Dean are going away for the weekend and I've got the house all to myself because Jared and Andy are staying over at Sophia's, do you know what this means?" She asked, excitedly.

"No, what?"

"We get the house to ourselves!" She squealed but then quickly frowned when she didn't hear a response from Ryan. "Did you hear me? The house to ourselves, no interruptions, no sneaking around… Ryan? Are you there?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Gaby, I'm just a little… distracted right now." He sighed and she raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" She asked. "You sound sad, what's wrong?"

"My parents… their getting a divorce." He said and Gaby sighed.

"Oh, Ryan, I'm so sorry… if you need to be alone-"

"No, Gaby, I want to be with you, I need to be." He said and she smiled. "I'll tell my parents I'm sleeping over at a friend's or something and I'll be there Friday after school, okay?"

"Okay," She said, smiling.

He smiled. "Thanks Gaby, I really need to be out of the house right now," He said and she nodded understandingly. "Well, I gotta go because Nora needs me and stuff, but I'll see you Friday?"

She nodded. "Yup, I'll see you then… bye." She smiled, hanging up and he did the same.

He walked back into Nora's room, expecting to see her curled up on her bed, but he didn't, she was gone.

* * *

"Nora?' Ethan laughed nervously as he watched his girlfriend walk into his room. "I wasn't expecting you," He said and then noticed her crying. He quickly stood up. "Baby, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him. "I need you," She whispered and he looked at her. "I need you _so _bad," She said, walking over to him. "Your parents aren't home right? Jade's at cheer leading practice?" She asked and he nodded. She smiled. "Perfect," She said, pushing him onto the bed as she climbed on top of him and kissed him. "I love you so much," She whispered, pealing off her shirt.

He smiled, watching her undress herself and then kissed her neck. "Me too, babe, me too."


	10. New Roomies

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad there's still people reading... Just wanted to say, may you rest in peace Michael Jackson! Although I wasn't a huge fan of his music, he was an icon and the King of Pop and I know a lot of people are devastated by his death. Anyways, I hope you all have a great weekend, TGIF!!!

* * *

"So, when are you going to tell Aidan about the plan?" Jade asked Jen over the phone.

Jen sighed. "I don't know, Jade, I'm not sure he'll go for it and if I tell him about this plan… I don't know, I just don't want to mess things up between us."

"Ugh, Jen, you won't!" Jade promised. "You have to tell him soon, you wouldn't want your sister stealing him from you, right?"

"I guess not," Jen shrugged and then heard the doorbell. "Ugh, someone's at the door, I'll call you back in five, okay?"

"Okay," Jade said and Jen hung up, running down the stairs to answer the door.

She smiled when she saw Aidan.

"Hey you!" She smiled. "I didn't know we had plans?"

"Uh, we don't…"

"I'm tutoring him tonight, Jen," Jen turned around and saw Melanie coming down the stairs, books in her hands.

"Oh," Jen said, awkwardly, as she looked at Aidan who gave her an apologetic look. "Well, I'll leave you two to it then, have fun." She said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible as she watched Melanie and Aidan get settled in the living room.

She frowned when she saw Melanie playfully hit his arm as the sat down. She ran back up the stairs and into her bedroom and dialed Jade's number.

"The plan is _so _totally on," Jennifer said and Jade smiled.

* * *

The next day at school, Andria was on her way to her locker when she saw Nick standing in front of it, attaching something.

She gasped. "You!" She shouted, walking over to him. "You're the one whose been sending me all those love letters, aren't you?" She shouted and he looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, no," He quickly said. "I was just putting up this flyer for my friend's band," He said and she looked down at the flyer.

She sighed. "Ugh, I'm _so _sorry," She quickly said. "You probably think I'm crazy."

He laughed. "No, not at all."

She smiled. "It's just… this guy has been sending me all these love letters and while their really sweet, it's kind of creepy! I want to know who he is." Nick nodded. "Again, sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you all this." She said, laughing awkwardly.

He smiled. "It's okay," He shrugged. "Can I give you some advice though? About this mystery guy?" He asked and she nodded. "Maybe he's just scared that when he meets you… he won't be what you expect," She looked at him. "I mean, maybe he just thinks he isn't good enough for you so it would be better if you didn't know who he was."

She stared at him in awe. "Wow," She breathed. "I, um… I never thought of it that way," She said and he nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem," He smiled. "Well, I've gotta head to my locker and stuff, but I'll see you around?"

She smiled, holding her books closer to her. "Sure." She said, watching him go.

* * *

Casey walked towards his classroom but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Connor talking to Jade.

He walked over, fuming, and pushed Connor onto the locker.

"Casey, don't start!" Jade shouted but he barely heard her.

"What did I tell you about staying away from my girlfriend, Riley?" He asked his elbow in Connor's face.

Connor laughed. "You don't tell me who I talk to, Reed," He said, pushing Casey away and that was when he lost it. A fight began and both boys were throwing punches.

"Casey!" Jade shouted, trying to get in between the two boys but it was impossible. "Stop it, please!"

"What is going on here?" Julie asked, walking towards the two boys.

Connor immediately stopped and Jade pushed Casey away.

"Connor, you go to the principal's office and Casey," She said, turning to her godchild. "You come with me."

Both boys did as they were told, glaring at each other.

"What's going on with you, Casey?" Julie asked, as they walked down the hallway. "This is your second fight since the beginning of the year…"

"I know," He said, shaking his head and she looked at him, worriedly. "That guy just… he gets under my skin."

Julie nodded. "The Riley men seem to do that to people," She said and he nodded. "Are you sure that's it?"

He looked at her. "I don't know… I mean, I don't know why I've been having these random outbursts lately," He said, shaking his head. "I just, I've been having trouble controlling my anger and it's… scary." He admitted and she nodded.

"Well, what calms ya down?" She asked.

"Jade," He said, with a small smile.

"Well, that's good," Julie smiled. "From what I've seen and heard, Jade's always been there for you."

He nodded. "Yeah, she's… amazing." He said. "I'm just scared that one day, I'll lose it on her and, I don't want that to happen… I don't want to hurt her."

Julie nodded, understandingly. "You wouldn't hurt her, Casey, I've seen the way you two are with each other… I know you wouldn't hurt her, ever," She said and he nodded. "You should probably talk about this with your parents though; there might be something deeper than just not controlling it."

He nodded. "I don't know, they'd freak and make it bigger than it already is."

She nodded. "Well, you think about it, okay?" He nodded. "I'll see you soon, don't miss my class today!" She teased and he nodded, smiling.

"Thanks Julie," He said as she stood up. "I really needed that."

* * *

"Hey Mel," Aidan said, walking towards Melanie in the library. It was Friday after school and they were having another tutoring session.

"You're late again," She pointed out and he sat down across from her.

"I know," He said. "I'm sorry, Coach told me to stay and run a few extra laps," He shrugged. "No big deal."

"Very big deal, Aidan," She sighed. "Am I wasting my time here?"

"No, not at all!" He said and she gave him a look. "Come on, Mel, I might be late sometimes but I'm always here, aren't I?" He said and she nodded. "I'm completely serious about this, I promise I'm not going to mess this up… my mom would kill me."

She laughed. "Okay, good,"

"Plus," He started. "I like spending time with you."

She looked at him and he nodded. She sighed. "You have to stop doing that." She told him and he raised an eyebrow.

"Doing what?"

"Flirting with me!" She said and he looked at her. "Don't even deny it, because you do," She said and he looked away. "Just, if you really care about Jen, like you say you do, you'll stop because… she's not someone you want to mess with."

"I'm just trying to be nice," He said, defensively and she sighed.

"Well stop," She said. "I don't need to give Jen another reason to think I'm trying to steal her spotlight," She said and he nodded. "Can we get back to this now?"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Mendoza house, Luis sat everyone, including Jared and Andrew, down in the living room for some ground rules.

"Okay, so," He started and both boys looked at him nervously. Sophia couldn't help but laugh as she watched her father grill them. ""Nobody goes into Sophia's room without permission from me or Livvie," He started and Livvie rolled her eyes. "Absolutely no sex, drinking, drugs, kissing, holding hands or anything of the sort," He continued and Sophia looked at Livvie and they both started laughing quietly. "But most of all, have fun but not _too_ much fun." He said with a smile and the boys nodded.

Livvie laughed. "Just make yourselves at home boys." She said, taking Luis and bringing him into the kitchen.

Sophia laughed as she watched both boys relax.

"I guess I'll show you where you'll be staying," She said, getting up and Jared did the same.

"I hope my room's close to yours," Jared winked and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well, it _was _going to be Gaby's room but since I think you're a conceited jerk I decided to give Andy that room and you the basement." She said with a smile and Jared frowned.

"Ha ha, thanks big bro!" Andy said, following Sophia upstairs.

"Ah, women." He said, rolling his eyes as he followed them.


	11. Convincing

**A/N:** Hey guys, sorry for not updating in a while, I've been busy enjoying my summer! But since the weather's supposed to be really crappy where I am the next few days, I'll probably update more often. Hope you guys are still reading, enjoy!

* * *

"I can't believe they forgot about our reservation," Dean said, walking into the tiny motel that they would be now forced to stay at.

Julie sighed. "I know it's not what we were expecting but… does it really matter where we are?"

He looked at her. "Jules, the ceiling is coming apart and I'm pretty sure I just saw a spider crawling on the floor." He said and Julie laughed.

"You know, you can be such a girl sometimes!" She said, laughing and he walked over to her.

"Oh really?" He said and she nodded as he kissed her neck.

"I think it's kind of sexy that you have a sensitive side, though," She smiled and he laughed.

"I think you're kind of sexy." He winked and she laughed, kissing him as she pulled him onto the bed.

* * *

The doorbell rang and Gaby ran down to answer it.

"Oh Ryan," She said, pulling him into a hug when she saw the sad look on his face. "It's okay, I'm right here." She whispered and he nodded.

She took his hand and brought him up to her bedroom and they both sat on her bed.

"Are you okay?" She asked and he looked at her.

"Yeah, I guess," He shrugged and she gave him a look. "Okay, no, but there's nothing I can do."

She nodded. "I know how you feel," She said. "I mean, as much as I love Dean and Livvie as my step parents, I always wished that my mom and dad were together so I could know what a real family feels like…" She trailed and he nodded. She took his hand. "Just because your parents don't love each other anymore, doesn't mean they love you any less, okay?"

"I know," He nodded.

"And it doesn't make me love you any less either," She smiled and he looked at her, surprised. "I know you wanted to be the one to say it first but… I love you, Ryan." She smiled and for the first time in the last few days, Ryan smiled too.

He cupped her face in his hands and brought her closer to him. "I love you too, Gaby." She smiled as he kissed her.

* * *

"Hey beautiful," Jared said, walking into Sophia's room.

She gave him a look. "You're lucky my dad's not home," She said, going back to doing her homework.

"I have something to ask you," He said, walking over to her and she looked at him. "Do I have permission?"

She laughed. "Yes, you do."

He smiled. "Okay, well, it's almost homecoming and I was just wondering if you were going."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, no, I can't… I'm only a sophomore." She told him and he nodded.

"Oh, right, well," He started. "I was also wondering if you maybe wanted to go with me, as my date?"

She went to answer but Livvie quickly walked in.

"Hey you two," She said and both teenagers looked at her. "We're about to watch a movie, you guys wanna join?"

"Yes!" Sophia said, getting up and walking out of her room and Jared sighed.

"Did I interrupt something?" Livvie asked, laughing as Jared walked towards her.

"You never know if it's actually 'something' with your daughter." He said and she laughed.

"Come on, let's go." She said, walking down the stairs.

* * *

"Hey you," Jen said with a smile, as she sat across from Aidan. She had called him and told him to meet her at the diner near her house; she was finally ready to tell him about the plan.

"Hey," He said, with a smile. "How've you been?"

"Great," She said quickly. "There's something I have to talk to you about, though."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "What it is?"

She took a deep breath, not knowing what his reaction might be. "Look, I trust you," She started. "And I really like you and I think we have something great between us," She continued and he smiled. "So I would _never _do anything to jeopardize that unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Okay," He said, nodding slowly. "I'm not really getting it."

She took another deep breath. "Well, there's something I need you to do for me," She said and he nodded. "I need to you fall in love with my sister and then break her heart."

"What?" He said, almost choking on his food.

"I know it's sounds ridiculous but I need this to happen." She told him and he raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because she just… never mind, it's not important why; I just need you to do this for me, please?" She begged and he looked at her.

"I don't know, Jen," He said, sighing. "It's a little harsh, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah," She nodded. "But she's just trying to come between us for her own pleasure and I can't let that happen, not again," She said, shaking her head and Aidan looked at her curiously. "Listen, like I said, my reasons are not important right now so… will you do it?"

"I don't know…"

"I'll make it worth your while," She said, flirtatiously and he looked at her. "I know you want me, you've always wanted me and if you do this… you'll finally get me."

He stared at her, not knowing what to say. "I just… I need some time to think about this, okay?"

She nodded, smiling. "Sure," She said and watched as he stood up. "Oh, Aidan, wait." She said and he turned around. She walked over to him and kissed him. She pulled away and smiled. "I hope that makes the decision easier for you." She said and he watched as she walked away.

* * *

After spending the last couple of days at the Germaine's with Ethan, Nora finally returned home.

"Hey sweetie," Charlie said, as she walked into the living room.

"Hi dad," She said with a forced smile. "Where's mom?"

"She's staying at grandma's for now…" He trailed and she nodded slowly. "She'll be back to come get you and your brother tomorrow."

"What? Why?" Nora asked, confused.

"It'll just be for a little while honey, you should be with your mom now, anyways." He explained and she shook her head.

"No, I don't want to live at grandma's, I want to live here, with you. Don't make me go there!" She said and Charlie sighed.

"I'm sorry baby, it's what mom thinks is best for right now…"

"I don't think it's best!" She shouted, dropping her things. "You're my dad; she can't take me or Ryan away from you!"

"And she's your mom… I can't take you away from her either," He said and Nora sighed. "It'll only be for a few days, until we get everything figured out."

"Well, whatever happens, I'm staying here, I don't want to live with mom and neither does Ryan."

"Don't say that, Nora, please." Charlie said and Nora sighed. She then started feeling nauseous and brought her hand to her mouth. "Nora, are you okay?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "I'm just feeling a little sick…" She trailed, running into the bathroom to throw up.

Charlie walked over to her and she looked up at him. "Did Connie cook again?" He asked and Nora laughed, smiling.

"I'll make you some soup," He said and she nodded. "Why does she even try? Why can't she just let Guy do all the cooking, save everyone from getting sick." He said, shaking his head as he walked out of the bathroom.

Nora stood up. "Yup, that's exactly why I threw up… because of Connie's cooking." She nodded, convincingly.

* * *

Molly came home from Jade's and Connor walked over to her as she entered their house.

"Where've you been?" He asked. "Mom and dad were asking about you."

"I was at Jade's," She said, putting her things down. "I called you yesterday; did you forget to tell them?'

"I guess so," He shrugged and Molly sighed, rolling her eyes. "You shouldn't even be hanging out with her, you know?" He said and she looked up at him. "Especially since she's dating Casey Reed, my biggest enemy."

Molly rolled her eyes. "I think I get to decide who I get to be friends with, Connor," She said and he shrugged. "Besides, you're always flirting with Jade so why can't I be friends with her?"

"Because she's dating Casey and the guy's an asshole… I don't want you hanging out with him. Plus, aren't you always tired of being the third wheel with those two?"

"Bye Connor," She smiled, running upstairs into her room.

She turned on her computer and saw that she had an IM from Ethan. She smiled as she opened it up.

**EthanG2: **_Hey beautiful. What's new?_

**MRiley09: **_Nothing much – family drama. What about u?_

**EthanG2: **_Same here, so tired of it all._

**MRiley09: **_Yeah. Do you ever wish you could just get away from it all and escape to a new place where you can be a totally different person?_

**EthanG2: **_All the time… I didn't think anyone else felt that way. _

**MRiley09: **_That makes two of us. :) _

"Molly, supper time, now!" Rick called from downstairs and she sighed.

**MRiley09: **_G2g, time for supper! I'll talk to you l8ter. _

**EthanG2: **_Yup, bye xo._

She quickly logged off and smiled big, which seemed to happen a lot whenever she talked to Ethan.


	12. Decisions

**A/N:** Soooo sorry for not updating in forever! I haven't really been feeling inspired lately but I've been listening to some new music that's been motivating me to write for some reason. I hope people are still reading this and I've already started the next chapter, which will be up tonight! Keep those reviews coming and enjoy :)

* * *

It was the middle of the night and Jared was feeling brave. He slowly and quietly walked upstairs to Sophia's room and sat next to her bed, watching her sleep for a few moments before waking her up.

"Jared, what the hell are you doing here?" She asked, in a whisper. "My dad will literally _kill _you if he sees you here, you know that right?"

Jared laughed. "You didn't answer my question."

She looked at him and sighed. "Can't this wait until morning? I'm really tired!"

"Nope, 'cause I won't be able to sleep if I know there's a possibility you might say no." He said, with a smile and she rolled her eyes.

"If I say yes, will you leave?" She asked and he nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you."

He smiled and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her forehead and then ran back downstairs.

Sophia sighed happily, as she fell back onto her bed, knowing she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night.

* * *

The next morning, Aidan woke up and walked downstairs where he saw Adam reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Morning dad," Aidan said, scratching his eyes.

"Morning son," Adam said as Aidan sat down. "Hockey tryouts start soon," He reminded him and Aidan looked up at him. "You should really think about trying out, I know you'd be great for the team."

Aidan sighed. "Dad, you know I don't want to play."

"Aidan, if you just gave it a try…"

"I don't want to play!" Aidan said, getting up and walking out of the room angrily.

Adam sighed as Anna came in the room and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't want to turn into my dad," He said and Anna smiled.

"You'll never be like your dad," She told him. "It's understandable that you want Aidan to love hockey as much as you did but you can't force it on him," She said. "But he loves soccer just as much as you loved hockey and you need to accept that."

Adam nodded. "I know, I know," He said. "Hey, who knows, maybe Andria will be the next Julie Gaffney?"

Anna gave him a look. "Not a chance." She said, walking out of the room.

He nodded. "I figured."

* * *

"Thanks for picking me up," Jen said, with a smile, as she hopped into Aidan's truck.

"No problem," He nodded, starting the car.

"So, have you thought about it?" She asked and he looked at her.

"Yeah," He nodded. "A lot actually," He said and she smiled. "I just… I don't think I can go through with this."

"What?" She asked, her jaw dropping. "I thought we had something between us?'

"We did, we do," He shook his head. "I just… I don't understand why you would want to hurt your sister like that."

Jen sighed and shook her head. "You probably think I'm crazy," She said, lowering her eyes and Aidan sighed.

"No, I don't, I just… I don't understand, explain it to me and maybe I will."

She nodded. "All my life, Melanie's outshined me in every possible way. Everything I've ever wanted, Melanie got and now that I found someone I really like… I just don't want Melanie to steal this from me too."

"Okay," He said slowly. "Because you're insecure?"

"No, because even though Melanie might not always do it on purpose, she always ends up taking what's mine, no matter what or who it is, and I just want to make sure it doesn't happen with you." She explained and he nodded. "I hope you can understand why I'm doing this, Aidan," She said and he looked at her. "I can't really explain it but if I thought this was going to hurt our relationship in any way, I wouldn't do it because… I really care about you."

He nodded as she moved closer to him.

"So, will you do this for me?"

He stared into her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah… yeah, I will."

* * *

Melanie headed over to Nora's house after receiving a worrying phone call from her. She opened the door and ran up to Nora's bedroom to see her sitting on her bed, crying.

"Oh my God, Nora!" Melanie said, running to her side. "What happened, what's wrong?"

Nora looked up at her. "I think I'm pregnant." She whispered and Melanie's eyes widened.

"What?!" She said. "I didn't even know you were having sex! What happened to waiting, Nora?"

"I don't know," She shook her head. "I just, I thought it was the right time and with everything going on with my parents… it just happened, okay?" She tried but Melanie shook her head.

"And you didn't even think to use protection? What the hell were you thinking, Nora?" She asked and Nora shrugged. Melanie sighed and sat beside her best friend. "Have you taken a pregnancy test?" She asked and Nora shook her head. "Well, come on, I usually don't encourage skipping school but… this is an emergency, let's go." She said, taking Nora's hand and lead her out the door.


	13. Sway

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter! I couldn't stop writing after the last one and I've already started the next chapter so I should have it up by tomorrow. Enjoy and PLEASE review!

* * *

Ethan walked into the school and headed towards his locker, looking for Nora. She'd been ignoring him for the past few days and he didn't know why.

He walked over to her locker and saw Melanie standing there instead.

"Hey, Mel!" He called after her. She turned around and rolled her eyes when she saw him, turning right back around and walking away.

He raised an eyebrow and followed her. "What's going on, Mel?"

She sighed. "Ask Nora." She said, coldly, and then walked away.

He shook his head; he was so beyond confused at that moment that he didn't even feel like talking to Nora, figuring she was probably mad that he'd been spending too much time with the band.

He walked over to his locker and smiled when he saw Molly standing there.

"Hey you," He said and she smiled.

"Hey _you,_" She said and then laughed. "So, I was thinking… I think I wanna, you know, try out for your band."

His eyes widened. "Really?" He asked and she nodded. "What changed your mind?" He asked, as they began walking down the hall.

"I don't know, really," She shrugged. "I mean, I might not be the best singer but I do have a good voice and I'm just… tired of being in everyone's shadow."

He nodded, impressed. "Well, I'm glad, it's about time," He said and she laughed. "I'll see you at my house after school then?" He said and she nodded. "Even though you don't really need to try out, your voice knocks out everyone else who's tried out." He said and she laughed.

She rolled her eyes. "Bye Ethan." She smiled and he waved as she walked away.

* * *

"I missed eating breakfast with you this morning."

Sophia spun around and saw Jared behind her and smiled.

"I can't say I missed you 'because the house was actually quiet for the first time in days!" She joked and he laughed.

"You know how to boost a guy's ego," He joked and she laughed. "So, I gotta admit… I'm pretty excited for the homecoming dance."

She smiled and nodded. "Me too," She said and he smiled. "But you better not be messing with me or I'll get my dad after you." She warned, only half-joking and he laughed.

"Don't worry, Soph," He said, with a smile. "I promise I would never hurt you."

"Take that back, please," She said and he looked at her. "You never know what could happen."

"Okay," He said slowly. "I take it back, I guess… but I promise I'll _do my best _not to hurt you," He said and she nodded. "Better?"

"Yeah," She smiled.

* * *

"Casey, you always do this!" Jade shouted. Her and Casey were in the middle of another one of their very public arguments and Casey was about to lose it.

"Jade, shut up, please," He said, as calmly as possible but he could barely keep his fists clenched.

"No, I'm not going to shut up!" She shouted. "If I catch you flirting with another girl one more time…" She threatened and that was when Casey lost it. He turned around and punched the locker next to Jade.

Her eyes widened when she saw how angry he was.

"Casey…" She said, slowly. "Baby, calm down, okay?"

"Jade," He said, his breathing getting heavier. "You have to leave, now."

"No, I'm not leaving you!" She protested and he turned around to face her.

"Jade, leave now or I'm going to end up hurting you."

She looked into his eyes and knew he was serious. "Okay," She nodded, taking her things out of her locker and walking away, looking back worriedly.

Casey tried his best to calm down but as everyone in the hall continued to stare and whisper, he only found himself growing angrier.

It became harder when Connor showed up.

"Hey crazy," Connor said and Casey looked at him. "Aw come on, don't even try to pretend like you're not crazy."

"Don't push me right now, Riley," He said and Connor laughed.

"Am I gonna have to go be Jade's shoulder to cry on again or are you going to man up and do it yourself?" Connor asked, with a smirk. Casey threw himself at him, punching him at every chance he got, and soon enough, the two boys were fighting.

The principal came and, once again, pulled them apart.

"Alright, I've had enough of you two," He said. "You're both suspended for the rest of the day and tomorrow," He said and Casey sighed. "If either of you get into another fight, you both won't be eligible to play for the hockey team." He said and Connor's eyes widened. "You both best keep it clean," He said and both boys nodded. "Go home, now."

He said, walking away and Casey looked at Connor.

"See ya later, crazy." He winked and Casey tried his hardest not to go after him again as he walked the other way.

* * *

It was finally lunch and Molly headed for her usual table. She saw Jade sitting down already and couldn't wait to tell her the good news about joining Ethan's band.

"Jade, oh my God, you'll never guess…" She stopped when she saw Jade was crying. "Oh no, what's wrong?" She asked, sitting down.

"It's Casey," She sniffled. "I think there's something wrong with him."

Molly raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, something's not right with him anymore! He almost… he almost hurt me today." She said and Molly looked at her, worriedly.

"But he didn't, right?"

"No, of course not," She shook her head. "He was just _so _angry and I've never seen him like that before," She said, shaking her head. "I don't know, I just got scared I guess." She said and Molly took her head. "What if there's something wrong with him?" She asked and Molly looked at her.

"Then you'll be there for him," She said and Jade nodded. "It's okay," She hugged her. "I'm right here."


	14. Baby, Baby

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing! I hope you all like this chapter and the next one should be up asap!

* * *

Andria walked into her science class and frowned when she saw that Sophia wasn't sitting at their usual seat.

"Soph?" She said, walking over to her best friend. "Why are you sitting here? The whole point of us sitting in the back is so that we can talk and text and Mr. Murray won't notice!"

"Ugh, I know," Sophia sighed. "He's changing our seats so I'm stuck in the front with this guy!" She said, pointing to the person sitting next to her and Andria laughed. "Anyway, you're still in the back, lucky butt!"

Andria smiled and walked over to her old seat to see that Nick Duncan was now sitting in Andria's spot.

"Oh, you again." She said, with a flirtatious smile.

He looked at her and smiled nervously. "Hey," He said, shyly and sat down. "I guess you're my new lab partner?"

She nodded. "We've met before, I accused you of being some psycho stalker," She said and he laughed, nodding. "Well, I'm Andria."

"I know," He smiled and she looked at him. "I'm Nick."

She smiled. "I know."

The bell rang and the class went on. When class ended, Nick and Andria said their goodbyes and Andria met up with Sophia outside of the classroom.

"I officially _hate _Mr. Murray!" She shouted and Andria laughed. "My partner smells like _feet_! It's disgusting… I don't know how I'm supposed to survive the whole semester sitting next to him without getting to talk to you or text… Man, I hate my life!" She complained and Andria laughed.

"Yeah, it's too bad Jared's a year older 'cause I'm sure you'd _love _for him to be your lab partner." She said and Sophia gave her a confused look. "Oh don't even try to deny it; I've heard all the rumors that he asked you to homecoming!" She said and Sophia looked away shyly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," Sophia shrugged. "I just thought it'd be weird since you two had a thing or whatever."

Andria rolled her eyes. "We did not have a thing!" She said and Sophia shrugged. "Besides, I'm sure I can find a hot senior to take me." She said, with a smile and Sophia laughed. "Or I can figure out who this mystery boy is and pray that he's a senior!"

"Still sending you those creepy letters?" Sophia asked and Andria nodded.

"I just wish he would tell me who he is already!"

* * *

"Aidan!" Melanie said, rushing into the library at lunch. "I'm _so _sorry I'm late!" She said, dropping her books on the desk. He looked up at her and couldn't help but laugh when he saw what a mess she was. "There was a thing with Nora… I'm sorry!"

He laughed. "No worries." He said, with a smile and she sat down. "Is everything alright?"

She looked at him. "Uh, yeah, kinda, I guess," She said, trying to find her notes. "Let's just get to tutoring, okay?"

He sighed. "I'm not _that _bad of a guy, you know?" He said and she stopped what she was doing to look at him. "You can trust me… whatever's going on, I'm here for you."

She smiled. "That's really sweet of you, Aidan," She said. "But there's really nothing going on… that concerns you, anyway." She said and he nodded, looking away. "Let's just get started, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." He nodded.

* * *

Nora hadn't been to school for days and Ethan was starting to get worried. He decided to skip school after lunch and head straight to her house.

She opened the door and sighed angrily when she saw who it was.

"Baby," Ethan started, trying to walk in but Nora went to close the door. He stepped in front of it and she folded her arms over her chest. "Nora, what's going on? You've been ignoring me for days now and you haven't been at school…" She looked away. "Does this have anything to do with the band?" He asked and she shook her head. "Molly? If me hanging out with her is upsetting you then I promise, I'll stop talking to her…"

"No, it's not that," She shook her head as she walked back inside and sat down on the couch. He hesitantly followed her and she began crying.

"Oh, Nora," He said, rubbing her shoulder but she pushed him away.

"Don't touch me," She whispered. "I don't want you touching me ever again."

"Baby, I don't get it," He said. "What's wrong? Is this because we had sex? I thought that was what you wanted…"

"It was," She nodded and then looked up at him. "Every action has consequences, right?"

He gave her a look. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean,_" She started. "We had sex, now there's a consequence."

He sat back down and looked at her. "Nora, what's going on? What consequence?"

She shook her head and looked away. "I can't even say it…" She trailed and he moved closer to her.

"Yes, you can, baby, I'm right here." He said and she turned around to look at him.

"I'm pregnant." She said, and then burst into tears.

Ethan's eyes widened and he stood up. "What?!" He said and she looked away. "B-but I thought you were on the pill?"

"I wasn't thinking clearly, I just found out my parents were getting a divorce, I must've… forgotten." She said and Ethan lost it.

"Forgotten?" He shouted. "How could you forget, Nora?"

"I don't know, okay?!" She shouted back. "You should've been using a condom anyway!" She said and he shook his head.

"You know I didn't have any on me that night and you were so desperate to have sex with me, how was I supposed to say no?" He said, coldly.

She looked up at him. "Get out." She said and he sighed.

"Nora, baby," He sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that and you know it."

"No, Ethan, I said get out." She said as she stood up. "I don't want to see you right now, leave!" She said.

"Fine, I'll leave." He said, heading for the door. "But you can't shut me out forever."

* * *

Ethan walked home angrily and tried to figure out what the hell he was going to do about Nora being pregnant. She obviously didn't want anything to do with him right now so he couldn't be there for her even if he tried but he had to do something… that was his baby too.

He finally made it to his house and his eyes widened when he saw Molly sitting on the steps. He had completely forgotten about her audition.

"Hey," She said, standing up. "Jade's at Casey's and no one's home but I thought we had plans…"

"Oh God, Molly," He said, walking towards her. "I'm _so _sorry I totally forgot," He said and she nodded. "I'm sorry but we're gonna have to postpone this, even though you clearly made the band, but I just… there's a lot going on right now."

"Ethan, what is it?" She asked and he looked away. "Come on, I'm your friend… you can trust me."

He nodded, sitting down and she did the same.

"I do trust you but you can't tell this to anyone, especially not Jade, okay?" He said and she nodded. "Promise me, Molly."

"I promise," She nodded. "Now, tell me, you're starting to scare me."

He shook his head and looked down. "Nora's pregnant."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my God!" She said and he nodded. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

He looked at her. "I'm really scared." He admitted and she looked at him, taking his hand in hers.

"Ethan," She whispered, wrapping her arms around him. "It's okay, I'm here for you."


	15. When It Comes

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! This chapter kinda builds up for a lot of drama at the homecoming, which will happen in the next couple of chapters. Enjoy! :)

* * *

"Okay," Julie started. "So, the doctor's office just called and…" She trailed, watching her children's face light up. "It's official, I'm pregnant!"

They all cheered.

"Yes!" Andy shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

"And what are you so happy about, little brother?" Jared asked, laughing at his reaction.

"The fact that I don't have to be the youngest anymore, duh!" He said and everyone laughed. "I finally get to be the one who picks on him and tells him what to do." Andrew said, excitedly and Jared laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Uh, I don't think you're going to be able to do that, kiddo," Dean said, sitting down and Andrew looked disappointed. "We're hoping it's a girl."

"Yay!" Gabrielle squealed and everyone looked at her. She blushed. "What? I've always wanted a little sister, not that I don't love you guys, or Sophia, but I _love _babies and now that I'm older, I'll get to take care of her and…" She trailed, squealing again. "I'm just _so _happy for you guys!" She said, hugging Julie and Dean.

"Thank you, guys," Julie said, with a smile. "You don't know how much it means to me that you're all happy about this." She said, tearing up.

"Oh God," Dean sighed. "Here come the water works," He said, getting up to get his wife some tissue.

"I'm fine you guys, it's just happy crying, I promise," She said and her children laughed, hugging her. "I love you all, okay? I hope you know that this baby could _never _replace any of you, alright?" They all nodded and she hugged them close.

"Okay, don't need to get all emotional on us, mom," Jared said and she laughed. "I hope you won't be like this during the whole thing, you know how I feel about tears."

"Don't you pay attention in health class?" Gabrielle asked. "This is just the beginning!" She said and Jared looked at her. "There's the morning sickness, the cravings, the back aches…" She trailed, turning to her mother. "Oh mom, I'm gonna schedule you an appointment with my massage therapist, okay?" She said, getting up and reaching for her cell phone.

"Thanks honey, but that won't be necessary." Julie said and Gabrielle looked at her.

"Oh yes it will," She nodded. "Do you remember how much your feet hurt when you were pregnant?" She asked and Julie nodded. "I'm sure you don't want that again, especially now that you're getting older… Just let me handle it, okay?" She said, running off into her bedroom.

"Okay… she's crazy!" Andrew said and Julie laughed.

* * *

"Aidan, I need you!"

Aidan turned around from his computer and saw his younger sister pop into his room.

"I'm busy." He growled and she frowned, folding her arms over her chest.

"What are you so crabby about?" She asked, sitting on his bed.

He looked at her, knowing he wasn't going to get rid of her unless he did what she wanted.

"It's none of your business," He said and she frowned. "What do you want?"

"Well," She started. "I know homecoming is usually for juniors and seniors but since Sophia is going with Jared, I _need _to be there so I can make sure they hook up," She said and he grimaced. She rolled her eyes. "So, I was wondering if you can maybe ask one of your hot senior friends to ask me?" She begged and he looked at her. "Please? I _really _need to be there!"

"No way." He said, getting up and searching for his bag.

"Please Aidan!" She begged. "I really have to go! Why won't you do this one little thing for me?"

He turned around and looked at her. "Because none of my friends are good enough for you." He said and she smiled.

"That's really sweet, Aid, but it's not like I'm gonna marry them, it's just a way to get me through the door!" She said and he sighed. "Please?"

He groaned. "I'll think about it."

She squealed. "Yay, thanks you're the best!" She said, hugging him and then walking out of his room.

He rolled his eyes. "Girls."

* * *

Jen walked into school and spotted Ryan. She immediately walked over to him.

"Hey Jen," He smiled. "How you been?"

She put her hand up. "Okay, never mind this 'hey, how are you?' bullshit," She said and he raised an eyebrow. "I need a favor, no questions asked."

"Okay," He said, slowly. "What's up?"

"I know you probably don't have a date for homecoming," She said and he looked at her. "Well, if you do, you better cancel it because you're taking me!" She said and he laughed.

"And why would that be?"

"I said I needed a favor, no questions asked which means you don't get to know, unless you accept the favor, and then I might tell you." She smiled and he laughed.

"Okay," He nodded, laughing. "Well, I don't have a date but I was kinda thinking about skipping the dance… it's not really my thing." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, it is now!" She said and looked at her. "We're friends, right?"

"Yeah, of course," He nodded. "Jen, what's going on?"

"Just, please do this for me?" She asked. I promise I'll explain the details later, okay?" She said and he nodded.

"Okay," he said and she squealed. "Just as friends though, right? I mean, I like you and all…"

"Oh, God, no Ryan," She said, grimacing. "I mean, not that you aren't hot or anything but just…" She stopped herself and he laughed. "Okay, as friends."

He laughed. "Okay, sounds good, call me later?"

"Of course." She nodded, walking away and he laughed, picking up his cell phone.

"Hey baby, I was just about to call you."

"Oh really?" Gaby raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing right now? I have good news and I want to celebrate." She said and he laughed.

"I have news too, but I don't think you'll want to celebrate." He smiled and she raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, you first."

"I got asked to homecoming." He said and she gasped.

"By who?!"

"Jen Reed," He said and she gasped again. "Don't be threatened, she's just a friend." He said. "Besides, I think she has an ulterior motive she's just not telling me about." He said, walking to his locker.

"Hm, right," She said and he laughed. She smiled. "Well, don't have too much fun because I still have good news and we still have to celebrate."

"And what would that good news be?" He asked, curiously.

She smiled. "You'll have to wait and see 'cause I have a class to get to, but I'll call you later?"

"Okay," He said. "I love you."

She smiled. "Me too."

* * *

Jade watched from her lunch table as Molly and Ethan talked. She raised her eyebrow when she saw Molly's hand rubbing Ethan's. Didn't Ethan have a girlfriend?

"Hey," Jen said, sitting down and Jade looked at her.

"Is it weird that my best friend is hanging out with my brother?" She asked and Jen looked at where Jen was staring.

"A little, I guess, but under these circumstances…"

Jade looked at her. "What circumstances?"

"Haven't you heard the rumors?" She asked and Jade shook her head. "Nora's pregnant!"

Jade gasped. "No!" She said and Jen nodded. "Molly didn't even tell me!"

"Don't tell her I told you, okay?" She said. "I don't think Ethan wants you to know just yet, and I promised Molly I wouldn't say anything."

"Ugh, yeah, whatever." She said, as Molly approached them.

"Hey guys," She said, sitting down.

"Hey, Molls." Jen said but Jade glared at her.

"Okay," She said, slowly as she sat down. "What's up?"

"Have anything you want to tell me, Molly?" Jade asked and Molly looked at her.

"Nope." She said, immediately and Jade narrowed her eyebrows at her. Molly turned to Jen. "So, how's the plan with Aidan going?"

"It's okay, I guess," She said, quickly and Jade's face relaxed. "He's going to ask Mel to homecoming, and tell her that the whole thing with me is over… I'm sure she'll buy it but, it'll take a lot of convincing."

* * *

"Hey best friend," Andria smiled, as she sat next to Sophia in class. "You'll never guess what just happened!"

Sophia looked at her. "Someone asked you to homecoming."

Andria gasped. "How did you know?" She asked and Sophia went to answer but Andria interrupted her. "Never mind, so yes, someone asked me to homecoming! And that someone is Connor Riley!" She said, excitedly. "Which is great because he's a _total _hottie!"

Sophia looked at her. "He may be a total hottie but he's also a total psycho!" She said and Andria raised an eyebrow. "Did you not hear what he did last year?"

"No." Andria lied, looking away.

"He beat the crap out of some guy so badly that he had to be hospitalized for days!" Sophia told her and Andria looked at her.

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do!" She said. "I heard Molly and Jade talking about it in the locker rooms last year."

Andria rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever, he's past that now," She said and Sophia gave her a look. "I'm still going with him, no matter what you say!" She said and Sophia sighed. "Plus, it's not like I'm going to hook up with him or anything, the only reason I'm going is to make sure you and Jared are the ones hooking up!"

Sophia rolled her eyes and laughed as she got back to her work.


	16. Before Homecoming

**A/N:** Thanks so much for reviewing! Sorry the last few chapters have been kind of short, like this one, there's A LOT that's going to happen at homecoming which will probably take up to three chapters to cover so be ready for that! Next chapter is the homecoming game and the beginning of the dance. Please keep those reviews coming!

* * *

"Skip homecoming?!" Jade yelled. "Are you insane? I cannot believe you just asked me that, Casey." She said and he laughed.

"I was kidding, you know?" He said and she looked up at him. "I just wanted to see what you're reaction would be."

She groaned. "Why would you wanna do that?" She asked and he shrugged. She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, whatever, we better win king and queen," She said and he nodded as they walked towards his car. "You're quiet, are you nervous for the game?"

He looked at her. "Not at all," He said and she laughed. "I just wish Connor wasn't on my team so I could beat the crap out of him."

She rolled her eyes and laughed as she climbed into the car.

* * *

Ryan went over to Aidan's house before the big game and was starting to realize that maybe it was a mistake.

"So, Ryan, how's the hockey team doing?" Adam asked and Aidan sighed. "What position do you play again?"

"Uh, it's doing great," He said and Adam nodded. "I play right wing forward." He told him and Adam nodded.

"Ah, and you're the assistant captain, aren't you?" He said and Aidan nodded. "I remember when that was my job and your dad was the captain," He said and Ryan smiled politely. "It's just too bad my own boy won't play, isn't it Aidan?" He said, patting his son on the back.

"Yeah, whatever," Aidan said, going upstairs into his bedroom.

"Uh, I should probably go check on him…" Ryan said, awkwardly and Adam nodded. Ryan walked upstairs into Aidan's room and laughed. "Way to be dramatic." He said and Aidan looked up at him.

"Sorry about that," He said, shaking his head.

"It's alright, it's not like my dad's any better," Ryan shrugged and Aidan nodded.

"I just… I know how much me playing hockey means to him but I just wish he'd understand that I love soccer as much as he loves hockey." He said and Ryan nodded, understandingly. Aidan shook his head again. "Anyway, we better go before you're late." He said, standing up.

Ryan smiled and patted him on the back as they walked out of his room.

* * *

The cheerleaders were in the locker room getting ready to perform their opening routine when an announcement came on.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," The Dean started. "And welcome to this year's homecoming game where the Eden Hall Mighty Ducks will take on the Stillwater Hornets," He continued and Jade got excited.

"This is it!" She said, happily. "Their announcing the homecoming king and queen nominees!" She said excitedly and everyone else groaned. Jade was usually the only one excited for these types of events, usually because she was always the one who won them.

"Just let her have her fun," Jen told the rest of the girls and they nodded.

"Firstly, I'd like to announce the nominees for the homecoming king and queen," He continued and Jade got even more excited. "The nominees for King are Ryan Conway, Jared Portman and Casey Reed," Jade squealed, knowing they'd be calling her name soon. "And for Queen," He said. "Jennifer Reed, Andria Banks and Jade Germaine."

"Yes!" She said, doing her own victory dance.

"You haven't won yet," Jen said, winking and Jade laughed.

"I'm bummed, I wasn't nominated." Molly said, sarcastically and Jade looked over at her.

"What do you care? You can go hang out with Ethan and play rock stars!" She said, coldly, as she walked by her.

Molly raised an eyebrow and watched as Jade went into the bathroom. She turned to Jen.

"Okay, is she mad at me?" She asked and Jen looked up at her.

"She's not mad, she just… she knows about Ethan and Nora," She said and Molly's eyes widened. "And that you knew all along and I guess she's just upset that you kept it from her, that's all."

Molly sighed. "I promised him I wouldn't say anything until he was ready…" She trailed and Jen shrugged. "I gotta go find him, I'll be right back." She said, walking out of the locker room and into the halls.

She quickly spotted Ethan and started walking over to him until she saw that he was talking to Nora and then she stopped.

She shook her head and walked away.

* * *

"I don't care if you're going to support me or not, Ethan," Nora said. "I've already decided that I'm keeping this baby and I'm giving it up for adoption."

Ethan sighed, shaking his head. "I have rights too, you can't just decide without confronting me about it," He said and she looked away. "Maybe I wanted to keep the baby and raise it."

Her eyes widened. "Do you?"

"No! I was just saying hypothetically," He said and she rolled her eyes. "I just don't know if I can handle having a baby right now…"

She looked at him. "If you're suggesting that I have an abortion, it's not happening!" She said. "You know I'm totally against that." She said and he nodded. "So, adoption is the only option and that's what I'm going to do and if you 'can't handle it' then you don't have to stick around." She said, walking away, leaving him more confused then ever.


	17. Homecoming Part 1: Ulterior Motives

**A/N: **Only one review last chapter, made me sad :( Thanks galindapopular for reviewing every chapter! I hope you guys are still reading this, which you are from the number of hits...

* * *

Ryan and Gaby were in the middle celebrating Eden Hall's win. He ran his hand up Gaby's leg and she moaned into his neck, never feeling so good in her life.

"That's what you get for scoring the winning goal," Gaby said, once they finished.

He smirked. "I did it for you." He said and she kissed him. His phone began ringing and he checked to see who it was. "Shit, it's Jen," He said, ignoring the call.

Gaby looked at him and laughed. "She better not be falling for you, 'cause you're all mine." She said, kissing him again and he laughed.

"No need to worry," He promised. "She probably just wants to know details for tonight."

"Oh right, the dance," She nodded, pulling away.

"You're not seriously jealous are you?" He asked, amused.

"No," She shook her head. "I'm just kinda sad, that's all," She shrugged and he looked at her. "It's just… I don't get to do all this with you and I really want to because when I did it…"

"You were with Tyler Vanderbilt." He pointed out and she frowned.

"That doesn't even matter," She said and he shrugged. "When I did it I was having so much fun because I was with someone I really cared but I wish it was you instead."

He smiled and cupped her face. "I wish I was doing this stuff with you too," He sighed. "And I wish you were my date tonight but that can't happen so let's not be bummed about it, alright?"

She smiled and nodded. He kissed her. "Best boyfriend ever?" She said and he laughed. She smiled and kissed him once more. "I guess you better go, huh?" She said when Ryan's phone started ringing again.

"Yeah, I guess," He shrugged, putting his clothes back on. "I'll leave early and sneak in from the window, okay?"

She smiled. "You bad boy," She winked and he laughed. "Okay, don't have too much fun!"

"Without you? Impossible." He smiled and she kissed him again. "I'll be thinking of you all night."

She smiled. "You better go before I strap you to the bed!" She joked and he laughed.

"That might not be a bad idea," He winked and she pushed him towards the door. He laughed and turned around. "I love you, Gaby." He smiled and she blushed.

"I love you too," She said. "Now, go!"

* * *

Jared arrived at the Mendoza house and wondered why he was feeling nervous. Sophia was his friend and they were going to have a good night, that was all.

"Hey stud!" Andria said, walking down the stairs, her green strapless dress flowing as she walked.

He smirked. "Hey you," He said and she smiled. "You look beautiful, as always."

"Why thank you," She smiled and he laughed. "I just wanted to come down and greet you before Luis did," She laughed. "He doesn't seem to like you very much."

He laughed. "That's because I'm Dean's son," He joked and she laughed. "Where's Sophia?"

"She's being a girl for once in her life and taking forever," She rolled her eyes and Jared laughed.

"I heard your date tonight is Connor Riley?" He asked and she nodded. "I have to say I'm disappointed, you can do so much better."

Andria rolled her eyes. "He's not even that bad."

"Yes he is," Jared nodded. "He keeps picking fights with Casey and the guy's a total psycho, okay?"

"You sound like Sophia." She groaned.

"I'm just looking out for you," He said and she nodded. "Don't say I didn't warn ya when he hurts you."

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself." She smiled, and headed back upstairs.

"Your boyfriend's being a jerk!" She said, walking into Sophia's room. Sophia spun around and Andria's jaw dropped. "Soph, you look… amazing! What the hell did you do?"

"Thanks," Sophia laughed, sarcastically. "Is it too much?"

"Not at all!" Andria said, admiring Sophia's champagne colored dress. "Jared's gonna flip when he sees you!"

"He's here?" She asked and Andria nodded. "Okay, so I just got a little nervous."

Andria laughed. "He's nervous too," She said and Sophia looked at her curiously. "He's always a jerk when he's nervous."

"What did he do now?" Sophia asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about," She said and Sophia sighed. "Just go downstairs; I want to see the look on his face when he sees how sexy you look!"

Sophia laughed and both girls quickly headed down the stairs.

* * *

It was finally time for the homecoming dance and though it was early, a lot of people were showing up.

Two of those people were Ethan and Molly, who had run into each other in the hall.

"You look beautiful," He said, sadly and she smiled. "She wants nothing to do with me anymore." He said and she sighed as they both sat down.

"What did she say?"

He looked at her. "She told me that she's keeping the baby and putting it up for adoption and that I don't have to 'stick around' if I don't want to." He rolled his eyes and she nodded.

"But you want to, right?" She asked. "I mean, you're not just going to abandon her, are you?"

He shook his head. "Of course not," He said and she nodded. "But she keeps shutting me out… I don't know what to do anymore."

She nodded, sympathetically. "You just have to keep trying until she lets you in, which she will… she can't do this on her own." Molly said and he nodded.

"Thanks for being there for me all the time," He said, taking her hand. "I know we don't really know each other all that much yet but I feel like I can talk to you about anything," He said and she smiled. "Plus, I don't know if I could talk about this to Andy, he'd probably pass out at the words 'having a baby'." He joked and she laughed.

"You ready to go inside?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Let's sit out here for a couple more minutes." He said, and she nodded, smiling.

* * *

Jen and Ryan finally arrived and walked through the doors. She turned to face him and smiled.

"Okay, so thanks for taking me, I'll see you later!" She said, as she started to walk away but he grabbed her elbow and pulled her close. "What the hell, Ryan?"

"What are you up to, Jen?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

She raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She said and laughed.

"I've known you for years, Jen," He started. "I see that look on your face… you're up to something and it's bad."

She sighed. "I just need to go spy on Aidan and Melanie and make sure he flirts with her!"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What? Why? I thought you liked him?"

"Uh, that's over now," She quickly said and he gave her a look. "It is. Listen, Aidan told me he likes Mel, so I just wanted to do something nice for them and make sure they get together. Is that _so_ unbelievable?"

He looked at her. "Yeah, it kinda is," He said and she laughed, playfully shoving him. "Well, go have fun, I guess."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Ryan."

"See ya later, Cupid." He joked and she giggled, walking away.


	18. Homecoming Part 2: Slowly Changing

**A/N:** Thank you galindapopular for reviewing! This whole one review per chapter is really discouraging and I haven't really been feeling motivated to write so PLEASE review! I know people are reading this... Anyway, for those of you who are reviewing, thanks and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

At homecoming, everyone was having a great time, especially Aidan and Melanie.

"So, you having fun?" He asked, as they swayed to the music together.

She looked up at him and smiled politely. "I am, actually," She nodded. "I probably wouldn't have even come to this but… I'm glad I did."

He smiled. "I'm glad too." He said and she blushed, feeling completely at ease.

* * *

"It can't be easy seeing Mel here with Aidan, huh?" Jade asked, watching Jen's eyes glued to Melanie and Aidan dancing.

She snapped out of it and looked at her friend. She shrugged. "I guess," She nodded. "But by the end of the night, Aidan won't be with her… if you get what I mean." She winked and Jade laughed. Jen became serious. "How are things with Casey? I mean… how's he doing?"

Jade shrugged, playing with the ruffles of her pink dress. "I don't know, I'm worried about him," She said and Jen nodded. "There's something going on with him and I just… I don't want him to hurt himself."

Jen nodded. "I know what you mean," She said, looking over at Melanie, laughing at something Aidan said. "I'm sure he's fine though, I mean, it's Casey… he's always fine."

"Yeah," Jade nodded. "I hope so."

* * *

Jared and Sophia sat awkwardly at their table, barely making any eye contact. He'd look at her from time to time but she would just sit there, playing with her phone, hoping to God that something would break the awkwardness.

"Hey guys!" Andria bounced towards them.

"Andria!" Sophia exclaimed, jumping up and pulling her aside. "Thank God you're here!" She whispered. "This is a total disaster! We've barely said anything to each other the whole time!" Andria frowned. "What am I supposed to do?"

Andria looked over and Jared and then a slow song came on. She smiled. "Go dance!" She said, pulling Jared up and shoving him towards Sophia. "Dance, okay?"

Jared looked at Sophia. "We don't have to if you don't want to…" She trailed and he shook his head.

"I want to if you do?" She smiled and nodded. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"You look beautiful," He whispered and she smiled, laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for being weird before, I just…"

She placed her hand over his mouth. "Let's not ruin this with words, okay?" She smiled and he nodded, laughing.

They continued dancing and a little later, Jared spotted Casey coming in from the corner of his eye. Casey signaled him to come over and he looked down at Sophia.

"Uh, will you excuse me for a sec?" He said and she gave him a look. "I'll be right back; I just have to… go the bathroom."

She nodded, confused and watched him as he met up with Casey.

* * *

Since his date was too busy dancing with her friends, Connor decided to go get something in his car.

On his way back to the school, he heard something from the bushes and went to go check out what it was.

He saw Ryan and Gabrielle making out and his jaw dropped. There was no way that was actually happening in front of him.

He pulled out his cell phone and quickly took a picture before heading back into the school, smirking.

Gaby pulled away and smirked. "Isn't your date gonna be pissed that you're gone?" She asked, tugging at his tie.

He laughed. "Nah, she was here for other reasons anyway," He shrugged, smiling. "Plus I'd rather be with you than anyone else."

She smiled and kissed him. "I think the backseat of my car sounds really good right now, doesn't it?"

He nodded and she pulled him towards her car as they continued to kiss.

* * *

Connor walked back into the school and spotted Andria flirting with a bunch of seniors. Seeing his date with other guys didn't make him very happy so he started walking over to her but was interrupted by Aidan.

"I don't think so," He said and Connor chuckled. "I'm not kidding, Riley, back off of my sister."

Connor rolled his eyes. "And what are you gonna do if I don't?"

"He said back off, I think you should listen to him." Connor turned around and say Casey. He laughed.

"Of course," He nodded. "I forgot all the little ducklings must stick together," He said, rolling his eyes. "Just another something I'll never be apart of." He mumbled.

Aidan looked at him, almost sympathetically. "Well, you could be apart of it, if you weren't such an ass."

"Whatever," Connor said, shaking his head. "I'm out." He said, raising his hands up and walking away as Casey glared at him.

Aidan shook his head and turned to Casey. "You okay, man?" He asked, seeing Casey clench his fists.

He released the tension and nodded. "I'm fine," he said, turning around to go look for Jade.

Aidan shrugged and headed back to Mel.

* * *

The music stopped and the Dean headed to the stage.

"This is it!" Jade said, excitedly, grasping onto Casey's side. "They're gonna announce prom King and Queen!"

"Great." Casey said, sarcastically but Jade was too excited to notice.

"Alright everyone," He started. "It's time to announce prom King and Queen," He continued, as he was handed the envelopes. "Your prom King is," He took a pause and opened the envelope. ""Ryan Conway!"

Everyone started clapping and waited for Ryan to show but he was nowhere in sight.

"Ryan?" The Dean said, but Ryan was nowhere to be found.

"Uh, he's in the bathroom?" Jen lied and everyone looked at her. "He should be back soon."

"Alrighty then," He nodded. "Let's move on to your prom Queen," He said, reaching for the envelope and Jade squeezed Casey's hand tighter. "Jade Germaine!"

"Yay!" Jade squealed, running onto the stage. Her smile grew bigger and bigger when they placed the crown on her head. "Thank you so much!" She shouted into the microphone.

Jade turned to look into the crowd for Casey, but instead of finding him cheering and clapping for her, she saw him storming out of the room and into the hall.

She frowned and ran to go find him. There was no way he was ruining this for her.


	19. Homecoming Part 3: You're Not The Same

**A/N:** So sorry for not updating sooner! I've been super super busy but I've already started the next chapter and should have it up by tomorrow afternoon the latest. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to South Carolina on Friday for two weeks _but _I'm bringing my laptop and will probably update at night from there if I get struck with inspiration. I hope you all like this chapter and are enjoying your summers! Thanks again for the reviews and keep them coming!

* * *

"Hey hot ass!" Andria called, running towards her best friend. "I haven't seen you _all _night," She said and Sophia laughed, knowing that Andria was probably drunk. "Is that a good thing? Does that mean you and Jared have been hooking up all night?" She said, excitedly and Sophia sighed.

"Nope," She said and Andria frowned. "It's kinda hard to be with someone who keeps ditching you to go drinking with his friends." She said, with an eye roll and Andria sighed. "It's not like I don't want him to have fun or anything but I just thought that…"

"It would be all about you two?" Andria finished and Sophia nodded. "Sorry sweetie, but with a guy like Jared… it's never about just you two." She said and Sophia frowned. Andria laughed. "Don't look so sad, it'll all be worth it later when you two are making out!" She said and Sophia laughed.

"I'm gonna go find him, okay?" She said, standing up and Andria nodded, doing the same.

"Go get him, tiger!" She winked, walking off to find one of the seniors she had been talking to before.

Sophia laughed and headed out into the hall.

She heard giggling coming from the corner and figured it was just some drunken couple making out…. And it was. Her eyes widened when she realized that drunken couple was Jen and Jared.

"Um," She said, her throat drying up. She could barely open her mouth to speak because she knew that if she did, she'd start to cry.

"Hey Soph," Jared said, never taking his eyes off Jen as she tugged on his tie. "Having fun?"

Her eyes widened even more when she saw that he thought what he was doing was perfectly normal.

"Uh yeah, but I thought…"

"We're friends, right?" He interrupted, turning to face her. If he wasn't so drunk he could see how hurt she was at that moment.

"Jared, what the hell is going on?" She asked, angrily and he looked at Jen, then back at Sophia.

"You wouldn't mind me taking Jen home, would you?" He asked, as if she had never said anything. "I mean, you can get a lift?"

She swallowed the dry lump in her throat and looked up at him. "Uh, yeah, sure." She mumbled, looking away.

"Thanks babe," He smiled. "You're seriously _the _best."

She nodded as she watched Jared and Jen get back to their make out session and quickly turned around, running out of the school.

She reached for her cell phone and called her mom, there was no way she was going back in that school.

* * *

Jade quickly ran outside, following Casey. She had never been so angry with him before. How could he do this to her?

"Casey!" She shouted, following him but he simply ignored her. "Casey, what the hell is wrong with you?!" She shouted again, this time reaching for his arm but he pushed her away.

Her eyes widened when she realized he was having another one of his rages and this time, she wasn't going to be able to calm him down.

"Casey…" She said, as she watched him dig his face into his palms.

"Jade," He said, as calmly as possible. "Please leave… I can't control myself anymore."

"But Casey…" She said, reaching for him but he pushed her away again and now she was afraid.

"Jade!" She heard someone shout and she spun around, it was Zach.

He motioned for her to come to him. She looked at Casey and then ran over to Zach and he brought her back inside the school.

"Are you okay?" He asked her and she shook her head.

"What are you doing here so late?" She asked, trying to change subjects.

He smiled. "Well, a bunch of us on the science team are working on a robot for this contest thing…" She nodded, remembering him telling her about this a while ago. "We finished late so we decided we'd come see how the dance was going."

She nodded. "Casey's not doing so great, is he?" She asked and he sighed. She looked so helpless and all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her and how much of a better man he was for her than Casey was.

"No," He shook his head. "He isn't… I'm worried about him."

She nodded. "Me too," She said, on the verge of tears. "I don't know what's wrong with him… I don't know why he's so angry all the time," She shook her head. "I mean, what if it's because of me? What if I'm the reason Casey's like this?"

Zach shook his head, placing his hand on hers. He couldn't believe how at ease he was with her right now. "You're not," He said, gently. "You could never be… Casey's just going through something right now, and even though we don't know what it is… we just have to be there for him, okay?" He told her and she nodded.

"Thanks Zach," She said, hugging him and his heart almost stopped. "I don't think I would've gotten through that without you." She said and he smiled.

* * *

Aidan pulled up in front of the Reed house and turned to Melanie.

"Mel?" He said and she looked at him. "I'm really sorry for giving you such a crappy night…" He trailed and she smiled. "I know homecoming isn't really a big thing to you but it would have been nice if I could have made it special for you." He shrugged and she smiled again.

"You did, though," She said and he looked at her. "It wasn't perfect, I mean, drunken fights and couples making out everywhere," She said and he laughed. "But it was way better then I expected… and I had fun," She smiled. "I had fun at homecoming, something I never thought I would say, so, you did make it special for me."

He smiled and nodded. "Well, I owed you," He told her. "For the tutoring and all that."

Her smile faded. "Oh yeah, of course." She said and he smiled at her. "I guess I better get going…" She trailed, looking at back at her house. "I'll see ya Monday after school?"

He nodded and smiled. "Can't wait."

She smiled and got out of the car, running back inside the house while Aidan turned the corner.

Jennifer came running down the stairs, all dolled up.

"And where are you going?" Melanie asked. "It's like… almost one in the morning!"

Jennifer gave her a look. "Don't even try to act like you didn't just sneak in here," She said and Melanie blushed. "So, who's the lucky guy?" She asked and Melanie's eyes widened.

"Uh, just a friend," She quickly said and Jennifer nodded.

"Well, I'm heading out," She said, grabbing her purse. "Tell mom and dad that I'm off and Jade's for a sleepover or something," She said, putting on her jacket. "I won't be home tonight." She winked and Melanie grimaced.

"Okay, too much information!" She said and Jen giggled, walking out of the house.

She ran down the streets and turned the corner. She smiled happily when she saw Aidan's parked car waiting for her. This was going to be a fun night.


	20. Fight Night

**A/N:** Sorry for not updating this afternoon like I said I would, I just decided to go in a completely different direction then I was intentionally going so... that means there's going to be A LOT of drama coming up and this chapter is just the beginning! It's kind of longish and a lot going on but it mainly focuses on Jade and Casey's relationship and the drama surrounding it. I hope you all like where I'm going with this, keep the reviews coming!

* * *

It had been two months since Homecoming and the aftermath of was finally settling in for the teens.

"People are talking," Nora said, shaking her head, as she looked down at her growing belly. "I don't think I can handle this for another four months." She said and Melanie sighed sympathetically.

"Don't worry, sweetie," She said, hugging her best friend. "I'm here for you, okay?" She said and Nora nodded. "How are things with you and Ethan?" She asked and Nora looked up at her.

She shrugged. "There isn't really anything going on between us," She said and Melanie sighed. "I mean, we barely talk unless it's about the baby… I don't even know why we're together anymore; he spends all his time with Andy or Molly." She said, with an eye roll.

"Yeah, what's going on with those two?" She asked and Nora shrugged. "Do you think he likes her?"

"I don't know," Nora shrugged. "I mean, I want to believe that he still loves me because we've been through a lot but… I don't want to hold onto something that's not even there anymore, you know?"

Melanie nodded. "I guess but I mean, you guys are so good together," She said and Nora looked at her. "You made sense; you really care about each other…"

"Doesn't mean we have to stay together." Nora shrugged and Melanie rubbed her arm comfortingly. "Anyway, how's the tutoring with Aidan going?"

"Surprisingly great, if you can believe it," She laughed and Nora smiled. "I mean, he totally surprised me! He would be so intelligent if he just applied himself more." She explained and Nora nodded. "I'm just happy I get to be the one who shows him that."

Nora eyed her suspiciously. "You're falling for him, aren't you?"

Melanie looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Nora laughed. "You totally are!" She gasped and Melanie looked away, blushing. "Don't be ashamed, Mel! Come on, tell me, I'm your best friend and he's hot!"

Melanie laughed. "I guess you can say I am but… it's just an innocent little crush, I mean, Jen would _kill _me." She said and Nora rolled her eyes. "Besides, he only sees me as his tutor, maybe his friend but that's all… nothing more."

Nora nodded. "For now." She winked and Melanie rolled her eyes laughing.

* * *

"Sophia!"

She ignored the person calling after her and kept walking.

"Sophia, please!" He tried again. "You can't ignore me forever."

She turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. "I've been ignoring you for the past two months, Jared, and nothing you say or do is going to stop me from continuing." She said and he frowned.

"Soph," He said, jumping in front of her so she couldn't move. "Look, I know I messed up but I-"

"I don't wanna hear it." She smiled, walking over to Andria's locker. "Why can't high school just end now so I don't have to see his stupid face anymore?"

Andria looked at her. "What did he do now?"

"Nothing new," Sophia said, rolling her eyes. "He just won't leave me alone! Even after I tell him I don't want anything to do with him." She said, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Andria frowned. "I wish I could tell you he'll give up one day but, knowing Jared Portman… he won't."

"I know!" She shouted. "And that's what sucks the most." She said and Andria laughed, getting her books ready. "What are you doing?" Sophia asked and Andria gave her a look.

"Uh, getting ready for class?" She said and Sophia raised an eyebrow.

"You _never _go to class early," She pointed out. "Especially not Science."

"I just wanna be prepared," She said. "Is that such a big deal?"

"Uh, for you, yeah!" Sophia said and Andria rolled her eyes. Sophia gasped. "This wouldn't have anything to do with your super cute but super shy lab partner, Nick, would it?" She winked.

Andria gave her a look. "What? Not at all!" She said and Sophia gave her a look. "I just wanna be early cause I'm practically failing this class and I wanna ask Mr. Murray if I can do any extra credit work!"

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Right, I'll just pretend I believe you on that one."

Andria rolled her eyes. "Whatever!"

* * *

"What were you doing with her?" Jade asked, angrily, as she and Casey walked into her house. They had just come back from school and Jade had seen Casey flirting with some girl in his class.

"We were just talking," He explained. "We have a huge science test next week and since I didn't bother to take notes, I asked her for hers – that's it."

She stared at him. "So, when you ask someone for their notes you have to call them 'baby' and 'sweetie'?" She asked and Casey looked away. "Don't even try to lie to me, Casey! I was right there!" She shouted.

"Okay! So what if I flirted with her?" He asked. "I'm aloud, it's not like I was cheating on you or anything." He said and her jaw dropped.

"Are you serious right now, Casey? Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth?" She asked and he rolled his eyes. "If I was flirting with another guy, you'd go ballistic and beat the crap out of him! But maybe that's just because you're crazy." She said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Don't go there." He warned and she shook her head.

"Why are you doing this to me, Casey?" She asked her eyes full of tears. He looked up at her. "I mean… do you even love me?"

Casey looked up at his girlfriend and sighed. "Of course I do, Jade."

She narrowed her eyebrows. "Why do I have such a hard time believing you?"

He sighed and shook his head, angrily. "I don't know, Jade!" He shouted. "All I know is that I want to be with you but you just keep making up excuses and finding reasons for us not to be together anymore so when you're done being a paranoid bitch, come find me." He said, walking out of her room and slamming the door.

Jade stood there, speechless, and could not believe he had just walked out on her.

She ran to her bed and started crying, wondering if what had just happened meant they were over.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Connie asked, walking into her daughter's bedroom.

Jade looked up from her pillow and shook her head. "No, not at all," She said.

"Oh baby," Connie sighed, walking over to her daughter. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Jade shrugged. "We got into a huge fight and… why do guys have to be such jerks?"

Connie smiled and hugged her. "I don't know the answer to that question baby, but I do know that Casey loves you," She said. "And you'll work through it."

"I don't know about that, mom," She said, shaking her head. "We've just been fighting so much lately and he's been so angry all the time… I don't want it to be this way but I don't know how to fix it." She said and Connie nodded.

"You just have to keep working at it until you have absolutely nothing left," She told her and Jade nodded. "You'll get through it, I know you, you're beautiful and strong… you can get through anything."

"Was it like this with dad when you were in high school?" Jade asked and Connie looked down at her daughter.

"Yeah, it was pretty similar," She nodded. "I mean, besides the cancer and bulimia your dad and I had our share of fights," She explained and Jade nodded. "But we got through it because we love each other, very much," She continued. "So whatever's going on with you and Casey right now… you'll get through it, because you love him."

Jade nodded, smiling, as she wiped away her tears. "Thank you," She whispered, hugging her.

* * *

Jade walked over to the house party that Casey was currently at and saw him sitting in the corner, sipping his drink. She sighed, relieved, glad to know he wasn't doing anything too self-destructive and made her way into the house.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a tiny blond attach herself to Casey's side and start kissing his neck. He took a huge sip of his drink and kissed her back. Jade grew furious and walked over to them.

"What the hell, Casey?" She yelled, knocking his drink out of his hand.

He pushed the girl away and turned to Jade. "Baby,"

"No! Don't you 'baby' me!" She shouted and then shook her head as the music went low and all eyes were on them. "I'm done with you, okay? We're over!" She yelled, walking away.

He chased after her, angrily. "What? You're not seriously breaking up with me right now?" He said, looking her in the eye. Never before had he seen her so serious, and so hurt.

"Yeah, I am, Casey!" She shouted. "I've had enough of your lies and your bullshit!" She shouted, yanking her arm out of his grasp. "Have a nice life," She said, walking out of the house and Casey stood there, speechless.

* * *

"Tough night, huh?" Ryan said, walking over to Casey, who took another sip of his drink.

"She's not coming back this time." He said, slurring his words and Ryan sighed, sympathetically.

"Come on, man," He said, helping Casey up. "Let's get you home." He said, as they started walking towards his car.

On their way, Connor walked over to them and Ryan groaned.

"This really isn't a good time, Riley." Ryan said and Connor looked at him.

"Really? 'Cause I think it's a great time," He said and Ryan narrowed his eyes at him. "Have you told your friend Casey here about your big secret?"

Ryan looked at him. "What the hell are you talking about, Riley?" He asked and Connor laughed.

"That you're fucking Gabrielle Mendoza," He said and Ryan's eyes widened. "I saw you two making out at homecoming and I think now's the perfect time to let everyone know your little secret." He smirked and Ryan clenched his fists.

Even though Casey was drunk and had no idea what Connor was talking about, he was quick to defend his friend.

"If you know what's good for you, Riley, you'll leave right now." Casey said, barely able to stand.

Connor chuckled. "Hey boozy, did Jade finally smarten up and dump your ass?" He asked and Casey grew angry.

"You better shut the hell up!" He said and Connor continued laughing as he took out his cell phone.

He turned to Ryan. "I have proof," He said and Ryan looked at him. "Once I press send, everyone will know about your little secret relationship."

"Shut up." Ryan said, glaring at him.

Connor smirked, knowing he was getting to him. "You know, I gotta hand it to you… Gaby's a fox, how great is she in bed?"

Even though Ryan had completely lost it by then, it was Casey who lunged after Connor, jumping on top of him and punching him as hard as he could.

Ryan tried to stop the fight but he was obviously unsuccessful and could only watch the two boys fight.

Connor threw his punch and it was so hard that it knocked Casey unconscious.

Connor quickly stood up, wide-eyed.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Ryan asked, running to Casey's side.

"I dunno!" Connor shouted. "I didn't mean to… shit!" He shouted again and Ryan looked at him, then back at Casey. "I'm sorry…" He trailed and Ryan looked up at him.

"Nice to see you have a soul," He rolled his eyes. "Why don't you make yourself useful and call an ambulance?"

Connor nodded and did just that.


	21. Mistakes Being Made

**A/N: **OMG guys, SOOOO sorry for not updating sooner! I was on vacation, had no internet and lost inspiration for this story for the last couple of weeks but I'm back and have a whole lot of drama-filled story-lines coming up, one of them starting in this chapter. I made a couple of changes to the pictures on my profile page so if you're interested, please go check them out. Thanks for reviewing and even though not many people are reading this fic, I am still going to update it regularly because I love writing for these characters and I have so much more in store for them! Anyways, thanks again for the reviews and keep em coming!

* * *

Jade ran out of the house, crying, and hugged herself as she walked home.

"Jade?"

She turned around and smiled weakly, wiping her tears off her face.

"Hi Zach," She said, barely above a whisper.

He stopped the car and climbed out, walking towards her. "Are you okay?" He asked, worriedly.

She looked up at him and shook her head. He pulled her into a hug, warming her up in his arms. "We broke up…" She said, "For good."

He looked at her and then hugged her again, rubbing her comfortingly. "It's okay," He soothed. "You'll be okay."

She pulled away and looked at him. "You love me, don't you?" She asked and he gulped. "Tell me you love me." She whispered, her face closing in on his.

He nodded. "I love you," He whispered. "I've always loved you."

She smiled. "Say it again," She said, kissing him.

"I love you." He smiled, and so did she. He kissed her, cupping her face in his hand and she grabbed his hand.

"Let's go back to your place," She whispered.

His eyes widened, he couldn't believe this was actually happening. "Okay," He whispered, following her to her car.

* * *

Sophia and Andria were in the middle of another one of their sleepovers when they heard something tapping on her window.

"What the hell is that?" Andria asked, as both girls ran to the window.

Sophia opened it and couldn't help but blush when she saw who it was.

"Andy!" She whispered. "What are you doing?!" She asked and he laughed. The two had become extremely close during the past couple of months, much to Jared's dismay.

"I wanted to hang out but I didn't know if you'd be aloud out so… I thought I'd throw rocks at your window." He explained, realized how dumb the idea sounded.

"Dude, it's called a cell phone." Andria said and Sophia whacked her arm.

"Well, why don't you come join us?" She asked, looking back at Andrew. "My parents won't mind and we were just about to watch that new scary movie."

Andy smiled and Andria rolled her eyes. She didn't want some guy imposing on their sleepover. She barely saw Sophia anymore and now Andy was joining them on their special night.

She groaned loudly when she saw Andy heading towards the door.

"Be nice." Sophia warned and Andria rolled her eyes. "I'm serious!"

"Whatever," Andria said. "Why do you even hang out with him anyway? Is this your way of getting back at Jared?"

Sophia glared at her. "No!" She said. "First of all, I have no reason to get back at Jared because I don't even care about him anymore," She said and Andria rolled her eyes. "Second of all, Andy and I are just friends… that's all." She informed her.

Andria nodded, not convinced. "Whatever." She whispered, rolling her eyes and following her down the stairs.

* * *

"How you holding up?" Ryan asked Jen, handing her a coffee.

"I'm worried about him," She said and he nodded. "He's gonna be okay, right?"

Ryan smiled a little. "Of course," He assured her. "It's Casey, he's always okay." She nodded. "Have you called Jade?" He asked and she nodded.

"She hasn't picked up," She said, sighing. "She's going to freak when she finds out," She said. "They broke up right before his fight with Connor… Maybe that's why they were fighting in the first place?" She said and Ryan looked away. "Do you know? You were there, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but I only got there after they started fighting," He lied and she nodded. He could not risk telling anyone else about him and Gaby. He trusted Jen but he had promised Gaby it was going to stay between them.

"Oh okay," She nodded, looking away.

He saw how worried she looked and then he sighed. "Come here," He said, pulling her into a hug. "He's going to be fine, okay? Maybe a few broken ribs, but he'll be fine." He reassured her again.

She nodded, pulling away. "I know," She said, wiping away the tears. "I just get over dramatic about these things," She told him. "He's my brother… I don't know what I'd do without him."

He nodded, smiling and then spotted Gaby from the corner of his eye.

"Uh, I'll be right back, okay?" He said and she looked up at him. "Gotta get a refill of this coffee." He said, with a smile and then walked over to Gaby.

"Hey," He said and she nodded. "When did you get here?"

"A little while ago," She said and he nodded. "I didn't want to interrupt your bonding time with Jen over there." She said, pointing towards Jen and he sighed.

"She just needed a friend," He explained. "Casey's in really bad shape."

"Right, of course." She nodded and he gave her a look.

"Something else is on your mind," He said and she looked up at him. "Come on, I can tell."

She sighed. "I don't mean to sound insecure and possessive but… you two have been spending a _lot _of time together since homecoming and I just… do I have anything to be worried about?"

He sighed and laughed, shaking his head. "Of course not, Gaby," He said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I love you so much, you know that." She nodded with a smile. "Besides, we've got more important things to worry about," He said and she looked at him curiously. "Connor knows about us and now Casey does too."

"What? How the hell did they find out?" She asked, worriedly.

"Gaby, calm down please."

"Calm down? How can I calm down when people are starting to know about us?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I just… I don't want to talk about this right now, okay? Not here." He said and she sighed. "I just wanna focus make sure Casey's okay."

She nodded. "Okay, I'll stay with you."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," He said and she looked at him. "I just, I need some space, okay?"

She sighed. "I'm just trying to be here for you, Ryan."

He nodded. "I know that but do you see what our relationship just caused?" He asked. "Two guys in the hospital."

"That's not our fault… Casey and Connor have always had problems." She defended.

"But the fight started because Casey was trying to defend me… Whatever, it doesn't matter," He shook his head. "I just need you to leave; I need to focus on Casey right now."

"Fine," She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I'll leave but call me later, okay?"

"Of course." He said, kissing her forehead quickly and then turning the other way to head back to the waiting room.

* * *

Jade climbed out of Zach's bed and searched through the dark for her clothes. She knew what she had just done was so horrible but she didn't care. Casey had just broken her heart; she deserved to do whatever the hell she wanted.

She picked up her phone and saw a bunch of messages from Jen and Ryan. She listened to the first one, Jen informing her of Casey's accident and immediately freaked out.

She ran to Zach's bed and woke him up.

"Zach!" She shouted, shaking him, on the verge of tears. "Wake up, please… It's Casey, he's hurt!"


	22. Bringing Me Down

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing, galindapopular! Hopefully there are still other people reading this, though. Hope you all like this chapter, lots of drama!

* * *

After Jade had arrived at the hospital with Zach and was informed of Casey's condition, she sat in the waiting room by herself, waiting for news.

Zach walked over to her, two coffees in hand, and sat down.

"Hey," He said, smiling brightly. "I bought you this." He said, handing it to her.

She looked at it with disgust. "I hate coffee." She said, setting it down and he looked away.

"Oh, sorry," He mumbled and watched as she continued to look away awkwardly. "Look, I know it's gonna be hard telling Casey about us but… we had to do it." He said and she turned to look at him, an expression mixed with confusion and disbelief.

"What do you mean 'us'?" She asked, angrily. How dare he think she was going to be with him after this?

"You and me," He said. "He'll probably be angry that we're together but… I'm sure he'll get over it."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Zach, we're not together," She said and he looked at him. "And we won't ever be, I can't believe you would even think that."

"But what about last night?" He asked, sad and confused by her words.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Listen to me, Zach," She started. "I used you for sex, okay? I needed someone to give me attention and you were easy because you love me," She said, and he looked away, ashamed of himself for letting her use him. "If it wasn't you, it would've been someone else," She told him and he couldn't even look at her. "This is the kind of person I am, so please… don't love me anymore."

Zach was so unbelievable hurt and when he looked back up at Jade, he could feel himself start crying. He looked back down and quickly got up, walking out of the waiting room and Jade sighed loudly.

* * *

After hearing news from Jen that Casey was going to be okay, Ryan headed over to him and Gaby's spot where she was currently sitting up on a rock, staring at the stars.

He walked up behind her and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry, baby," He said, and she turned around, putting her hand on her head.

"Jeez, Ryan!" She shouted. "You scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry," He said, moving closer to her. "For that and for before."

She looked at him and smiled. "It's okay," She said. "You were stressed about Casey and I was just making it worse with all that stuff about Jen," She said, shaking her head. "I'm the one who should be sorry." She said, pulling him into a hug. She buried her face in his chest and he rubbed her back comfortingly. "What are we going to do about Connor?" She asked and he looked down at her.

"I dunno," He said, running his fingers through his hair. "We can't pay him 'cause I'm broke and he's loaded anyway," He said. "I guess our only option is to kill him." He said, with a childish grin.

She frowned. "Ryan, this isn't a time for jokes, this is serious."

"You're right, I'm sorry." He said, seriously.

"Maybe this is a sign that we should our families about us? So they don't have to hear it from Connor." She suggested and he gave her a look. "It could work, they might surprise us."

"I don't think so," He said quickly. "Our relationship is _illegal _if you've forgotten, I don't think my parents would be too happy about that… and let's not forget the beatings I would get from your dad and Jared, possibly your mom too." He said, and she giggled a little. "I just think we should keep it between us for a little longer, see what the hell Connor wants from us."

She nodded. "I guess that could work," She said. "I hope it does."

* * *

Jade ran into Casey's hospital room after hearing word from the doctors that he was awake and well.

"Oh, Casey," She said, tears running down her face. She ran towards his bed and hugged him.

He closed his eyes and hugged her back. He knew everything that had happened between them earlier was forgotten.

He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "I'm gonna be a better boyfriend to you, okay?" He said and her eyes widened. "I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure you're happy, all the time," He said and she nodded. She couldn't believe he was saying all this to her. Why did he have to turn into the perfect boyfriend after she had just slept with his brother?

"Casey," She whispered, shaking her head. "Last night I… did something."

"It's okay," He said, cupping her face in his hand. "Let's just put everything in the past and work on us, okay? I want us to be happy."

She shook her head, feeling guiltier than ever. He had to know. "No, Casey," She whispered. "I slept with Zach." She said, knowing she just lost him forever.

His eyes widened, he could not believe what he had just heard. "Get out." He said, angrily and she stood up, watching him flip his plate of food off the tray. "I _said _GET OUT!" He shouted again and Jade ran out crying as Tammy and Fulton went inside Casey's room to calm him down.

* * *

The next day, Andy and Sophia were taking a walk to the pond. It was winter and the pond had finally turned into ice so Andy had decided he was going to teach Sophia how to skate.

"Are you sure I'm going to be able to do this?" She asked, as they continued down the path.

"Of course," He smiled. "You can do anything you want to." He smiled and she blushed. "By the way, Jared's been asking about you."

Sophia rolled her eyes. Why did he have to ruin a perfectly good moment by bringing up Jared? "I don't really care what that Jerk has to say." She said, and Andy looked away. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Andy, I know it must be weird for you, him being your brother and all."

"No, I understand," He said and she looked up at him. "Jared was a jerk and he hurt you… you have every right to be upset."

She smiled and they finally arrived at the pond. They laced up their skates and Sophia eased onto the ice, Andy waiting for her in the middle.

"Okay, I'm a little scared!" She told him, losing her balance. "Okay, REALLY scared!" She said, falling but he caught her and they both fell. "Sorry!" She said, laughing and he laughed too. She was on top of him and he had his arms wrapped around her. She never thought she'd be in this position with Andy.

_Maybe we're more than friends after all… _She thought to herself.

"Well, isn't this an interesting little picture?" They heard someone say and then turned around to see who it was.

Sophia quickly got off Andy and stood up when she saw it was Jared. "What are _you _doing here?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.

He smirked, sensing her nerves. "I was just taking a walk with a friend of mine when I heard two _children _disturbing the peace," He said and Sophia glared at him.

"Why don't you stop playing games, Jared?" Andy said, standing up. "You had your chance with her and you blew it." He said and Sophia was surprised.

"Yeah," Sophia said, still looking at Andy in disbelief. "If you want to play games then you can find someone else, 'cause I'm done playing." She said, walking away and Jared chuckled.

Andy followed her and shook his head when he passed Jared.

Jared smirked, knowing that Andy didn't stand a chance with Sophia, because she still had feelings for him.


	23. Unwanted

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing, keep them coming!

* * *

Andria stared at the flyer in front of her. _Student Exchange Program to London, England! _She'd always wanted to go to England and since there wasn't much going on in Minnesota, she decided she'd consider it.

"You planning on going?" She heard someone say behind her and she spun around. It was Nick, she smiled.

"I was thinking about it, I've always wanted to go to London," She told him. "How 'bout you?"

He nodded. "Yup, I'm already signed up and everything," He told her and she nodded. "You should really go, for my sake," He said and she raised an eyebrow. "The only other people I know are going are two guys from the chess club and one cheerleader, I hate cheerleaders." He said and she giggled.

"I'll think about it," She said, with a smile. "I'll have to ask my parents but I dunno if they'll go for it… not that they really notice what I'm doing here but I mean, they can be a little over protective at times." She said and he nodded, understandingly.

"Oh, I totally get it," He said. "I had to beg my parents for months to let me go… I'm thinking, maybe I'll meet some British publisher who'll actually read the crap I write and get it published."

She laughed. "Well, I doubt it's crap," She said and he shrugged. The bell rang. "Well, I've gotta get to class," She said and he nodded. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course." He said, smiling as she walked away.

* * *

"Thanks, by the way, for helping me out," Aidan said, as he and Melanie walked out of the school. Melanie looked at him. "I don't think I've said thanks to you this whole time so… thanks."

She smiled. "No problem," She said. "You surprised me, really, I mean, to be honest I didn't think you were going to take this seriously, but I'm glad you did."

He smiled. "Do you need a ride?"

"Oh no, that's fine, I live a few blocks away anyway." She told him.

"What if I insisted?" He asked and she looked at him. "I mean, it's the least I can do."

She looked at him and sighed. "I guess, if you insist…" She said, as he opened the door for her and she got into the car.

He did the same and started the engine. The car ride was silent until they got to Melanie's house.

"Well, thanks again for driving me," She said, unbuckling herself. "I'll see you next week." She said, turning to open the door but Aidan pulled her by the elbow closer to him. She stared into his eyes as he pressed his lips against hers and for a moment, she kissed him back but then she realized what she was doing and then pushed him away.

"Stop!" She whispered and he looked at her, curiously. "We can't! You and Jen…"

"What if I said I didn't want her anymore? What if I want you?" He asked, pulling in for another kiss but she shoved him away.

"Aidan, stop it!" She shouted. "Jen is my sister and she likes you, a lot, I'm not going to do this to her! And besides, I'm not into you like that!" She told him as she opened the car door. "I'll see you next week and we'll pretend that none of this ever happened." She said and then ran into her house.

Aidan sighed loudly and rested his head against the steering wheel. What the hell had he just done?

He felt his cell phone vibrating and saw that Jen was calling him. He groaned and ignored the call. Was he falling for Mel?

* * *

"It's gonna be okay," Jen said, hugging Jade as they walked into the hospital. "I'm sure if you just talk to him, he'll understand and forgive you."

Jade gave her a look. "It's Casey we're talking about here, you know?"

Jen sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know," She said. "Maybe just give him some time… I'll go talk to him first, see what mood he's in, okay?"

Jade nodded and Jen entered Casey's room.

"Hey brother," She said, smiling brightly and he nodded at her. She sat at the edge of his bed. "How are you feeling today?"

"Well, let's see, where to start?" He said. "I got the shit beat out of me by the guy I can't stand, mom and dad might not be able to pay my medical bills, oh yeah, and my girlfriend slept with our little brother," He continued and she sighed. "How do you think I'm feeling, Jen?"

"Okay, Casey, you have every right to be upset but… Jade's really falling apart." She told him and he raised an eyebrow.

"Am I supposed to care?" He asked and she gave him a look. "I really don't give a damn what Jade does with her time anymore, she's dead to me."

"You're saying that now, but you don't really mean it," Jen told him and he looked at her. "Anyway, she's outside and she wants to talk to you…"

Casey tried his best to control his anger. He didn't need yet _another _shrink coming in and asking him about his anger issues.

"I don't want to talk to her," He said, as calmly as possible. "You shouldn't have brought her here, you should've known it'd set me off, Jen." He said and she nodded.

"You're right, I just thought maybe you'd want to hear her out," She said and Casey looked away. "You can be mad all you want, Casey, but one of these days you're going to have to stop shutting her out… She loves you."

He looked at her. "Are you done now?" He asked and she nodded, sighing. "Okay, you can leave and you can take Jade with you."

"Casey…"

"Just go, please?" He said, with pleading eyes. "I want to be alone."

She sighed and picked up her purse. "Fine, but I'll be back later."

"Okay." He nodded.

"I love you." She said and he looked up at her.

"Me too." He nodded and she walked out of the room.

"He doesn't really feel like seeing anyone right now." She lied and Jade looked at her, her eyes tearing up.

"I love you for lying," She said and Jen sighed. "I heard every word."

Jen nodded and hugged her. "He'll come around, I know he will."

* * *

"Hey you." Ethan smiled, watching as Molly approached him in the school parking lot the next day.

"Hey _you._" She smiled back. "How you holding up?" She asked and he looked at her. "I, um, heard about your break up with Nora."

He nodded. "I'm doing okay," He said. "It was a mutual decision… We just don't feel that way about each other anymore," He explained and she nodded. "And she's giving the baby up for adoption. I mean, I guess I'm okay with that but I guess I'll always wonder what it would have been like if we kept it."

She nodded. "Of course you will," She said. "Anyone would feel the same way."

He nodded. "Anyway," He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Enough baby talk… There's something I wanted to ask you."

She looked up at him. "Oh, really?" She said and he nodded. "Well, go ahead." She smiled.

He took a deep breath. _This is it, man, just ask her how she feels about you. _He told himself, but he couldn't do it. "Uh, how's school and stuff?"

She looked at him, disappointed. "Uh, it's great," She nodded. "Jade's still pretty pissed at me for hanging out with you though, it's kind of weird." She explained. "And the fact that my brother beat the crap out of her boyfriend doesn't really help mend the fences."

He nodded, understandingly. "Well, you know Jade, she's over dramatic about everything," He said and she nodded. "I'm sure she'll get over it and you'll be back to normal soon."

"I hope so," She nodded, checking her cell phone for the time. "Anyways, I have to go, Jade hate it's when we're late for practice." She said and Ethan nodded.

"Well, don't be shy," He said, opening his arms up. "Give me a hug." He said with a smile. She nodded and he pulled her into his arms for a hug.

He wrapped his arms around her and immediately did the zipper of his sweater.

"Okay, you are kidding me right now, Ethan!" She said and he laughed. "You did _not _just zip me into your sweater!" She said, unable to move.

He laughed. "And what if I did?" He asked, amused and she punched him.

"I can't even move!" She shouted and he laughed some more. "Come on, let me out!" She begged. "I'm really claustrophobic! Ethan, please!"

He sighed. "You ruin all the fun." He said, undoing his zipper as she backed away from him.

"You're a jerk," She said, with a playful smile and he laughed.

"Nah, I just wanted that hug to last longer than it was going to." He shrugged and she looked at him.

He pulled her closer by her elbow and kissed her and for a moment, she kissed him back but then realized what she was doing and pulled away.

"You shouldn't have done that!" She shouted, running back into the school.


	24. Hello London

A/N: Soooo sorry for not updating sooner! School's been super crazy lately but I'll try to update asap. There's a lot of new characters coming in the next few chapters so if you get confused please let me know! I know this chapter is short (I had trouble fitting anything else in there) but I'm almost done the next one so it should be up soon. Please keep those reviews coming :)

* * *

"So, I have a confession to make," Melanie said, sitting across from Nora at their usual lunch table.

Nora looked up at her. "Me too," She said, biting her lip. "But you go first."

Melanie nodded. "Um, so, the other night after tutoring with Aidan," She started, taking a deep breath. "He drove me home and before I could get out of the car he… kissed me."

Nora's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "What?!"

"I pulled away as soon as he did it," She quickly said. "And I told him to forget it ever even happened."

"That's _huge_!" Nora said and Mel nodded.

"If Jen ever finds out…" She said, shuddering as she thought of her older sister's reaction would be. "She'd kill me."

Nora nodded. "Do you like him?" She asked, curiously and Mel gave her a look.

"Jen would kill me." She said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"If Jen wasn't in the picture?"

Melanie narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "Okay, new topic," She said, with a smile. "What's your news?"

"Okay, fine," Nora nodded. "This is also pretty huge, like huger than your news." She told her and Mel raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on?"

Nora took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about this over and over again, so please don't judge me, okay?" She asked and Melanie nodded. "I want to keep the baby, I want to raise it." She said and Melanie's eyes widened.

"What? Are you sure about this, Nora? That's a lot of responsibility, you're only sixteen…" Melanie trailed and Nora sighed.

"I thought we said no judging?" Nora said and Melanie sighed.

"I just… I don't want to see you throw your future away by having a baby, I mean, it would be much better off with a family who…"

"Who loved each other, is that what you were going to say?" Nora asked, angrily. "You know, I thought you were my best friend, someone who wouldn't judge me no matter what I decided to do, but I guess I was wrong, huh?" She said, getting her things and walking away.

* * *

In London, Nick and Andria, along with their other classmates, walked off the plane and into the airport, waiting to meet with the people who they'd be staying with for the next couple of months.

They saw a girl, a little older than they were, standing next to a few other people, with a sign that said _Students from Eden Hall Academy. _

Nick nodded to Andria, indicating they walk over to her.

"Hi," She smiled sweetly. "I'm Lauren, you must be Andria and Nick?" She said and Andria nodded, loving her British accent already. Lauren smiled. "You two will be staying with me and-" But she was cut off by Nick.

"Do I get to sleep in the same place as Andria?" He quickly said and Andria looked up at him. "Cause if I do… I love this place already." He said and Andria laughed, shaking her head.

Lauren smiled and brushed a piece of her sandy blond hair out of her face. "No, I'm sorry," She said and Nick frowned. "Andria will be staying with me and you'll be staying with a friend of mine, Rob," She said and Nick nodded, disappointed. "He's just running late." She said, rolling her eyes and looking around to see if she spotted him anywhere.

Andria raised an eyebrow. "This friend of yours," She started and Lauren looked up at her. "Is he good looking? Like at all?" She asked, with a smile.

As though on cue, Rob jogged over, in a t-shirt, sweatpants and all sweaty. Andria's eyes widened and she had to catch her breath when she saw him up close. He was definitely good looking.

"Sorry I'm late," He quickly said, taking his headphones out of his ears. "I went for a jog and lost track of time." He told Lauren and then turned to Nick and Andria, smiling at her. "Hello," He said and she blushed. "I'm Rob."

She smiled. "I'm Andria," She said, blushing again as he kissed her hand.

Nick watched on jealously and Lauren walked over to him. "I wouldn't be too worried," She said and he looked at her. "Rob's flirts with every girl he meets, but he'd never go for someone's girlfriend."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Oh, um, Andria's not my girlfriend," He quickly said and she looked at him. "We're just lab partners, friends even, that sorta thing."

She nodded. "Right, of course you are." She smiled, and walked over to Andria. "My brother and sister are at your school right now," She said and Andria nodded. "Their about your age." She said, with a smile.

"Oh? And does this brother of yours look anything like your friend Rob here?" She asked, smiling and Lauren grimaced. "'Because my best friend's single and needs some type of action."

Lauren laughed. "We're going to be great friends." She said, hooking her arm into Andria's as they walked to get their luggage.


	25. Bad News

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing, galindapopular! I'm going to keep writing this, even if it's only for you :)

* * *

Sophia stood at her locker and sighed. She missed Andria already and it had only been a couple of days since she had been gone. From her e-mails, Andria was already having the time of her life and Sophia was miserable. Who was she supposed to hang out with now? There was always Andy but things had been awkward between them since the day in the park with Jared.

She sighed loudly again and began walking to class.

"Um, hi," She heard someone say behind her. She spun around and had to catch her breath after seeing the boy in front of her. He was absolutely gorgeous, with his messy, blond hair and dark blue eyes. She was speechless.

"Can you tell me where this class is?" He asked, pointing down to his schedule. His British accent becoming more apparent to Sophia now.

"Um yeah," She said, pulling a strand of her hair behind her ear. It was a nervous habit of hers. "It's right this way; I have that class now, actually, I could show you how to get there." She said, with a polite smile.

He smiled too. "Great," He said. "I'm Mark."

She nodded. "I'm Sophia," She said. "I guess you're new here, right?"

He laughed, nodding. "What gave it away? The British accent or the lost look on my face?"

She laughed. "A little bit of both?"

He laughed as they continued down the hall. She stopped, though, when she saw Jared approaching them.

"Oh God," She whispered. "Not now!"

"Hey Sophia," He said, with his usual charming grin. She narrowed her eyes at him and he turned to Mark. "You gonna introduce me to her new friend here?"

"Of course," She said, with a fake smile. "Mark, this is Jared, Jared this is Mark."

Mark nodded. "Nice to meet ya."

"Oh, British?" Jared noted. "You must be on the exchange program then, huh?" He asked and Mark nodded. "Dude, I heard your sister's a total babe."

Mark narrowed his eyes at him but Sophia put her hand on Mark's shoulder, stopping him from beating the crap out Jared.

"Don't mind him," She whispered. "He flirts with anything that walks."

Mark chuckled. "Ha, I know someone like that back at home." He said and Sophia nodded, smiling. She turned back to Jared and saw that he was talking to a girl. She frowned, walking over to them.

"Since I introduced to my new friend, I think it'd be only fair you introduce me to yours." She said, plastering a smile on her face.

He smiled back. "Of course." He said, imitating her earlier comment. He turned to the girl. "Sabrina, this is Sophia, Soph, this is Sabrina," he said and Sabrina nodded. "And well, you already know your brother." He said and Sabrina giggled.

Mark rolled his eyes.

Sophia turned to Sabrina. "Listen, I'm sure you're a great girl but you'd be wasting your time with him," She said and Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "He likes to lead girls on and then make out with other girls at homecoming dances." She said, smiling at Jared.

He smirked. "Touché, Soph, I'm proud." He said and she rolled her eyes. He turned to Sabrina. "Would you like a tour of the school from yours truly?" He asked, taking her hand and she blushed.

"Why not?" She said, as they started walking away. She looked back at Sophia. "I like trouble." She winked.

Jared smiled. "We'll get along great then." He smiled and they walked away.

Sophia sighed and turned back to Mark.

"Is it just me or is there something going on between the two of you?" Mark asked, with a smile, and Sophia looked up at him.

"There w_as _something," She told him. "He messed it up."

Mark nodded. "Does that mean your available, then?" He asked and she smiled, nodding. "Perfect." He said, and they started walking back to class.

* * *

Zach walked towards the Science rooms with his head hung low. He hadn't been making much contact with anyone since sleeping with Jade. He wasn't proud of himself for sleeping with his brother's girlfriend, and even though he thought he loved her, he was now realizing that he probably didn't.

He sighed once he got there. He was going to have to face Kevin and Lucy for the first time in days. He knew Kevin wouldn't ask him about it, but Lucy definitely would.

He walked in and headed towards the table where Kevin and Lucy were working on their robot. He set his back down and got to work but could feel his best friends staring at him.

"Where have _you _been?" Lucy asked and Zach looked up at her. They'd been best friends since the first day of freshmen year but there was no way he was telling them about sleeping with Jade. He was already ashamed of himself; he didn't need Lucy reminding him of what an idiot he was.

"Um," He started, looking at both of them. "I've just been… at the hospital, with Casey," He lied. Truth was, he hadn't visited Casey once. He told his parents it was because he was so busy with the robot but he knew that he'd have to face his brother once he came home, and he dreaded that day. "Casey's in pretty bad shape and I, uh, just wanted to be there for him, you know?"

He said and Kevin nodded, understandingly, but Lucy was still suspicious.

"Are you sure?" She asked, placing her hand on her hip and he nodded. "Okay, well, maybe we should all go visit him?" She said and Zach stopped what he was doing. "I mean, I know we're not like, friends or whatever, but I'm sure seeing people would make him feel better, especially since he broke up with Jade." She said and Zach looked at her. "Why'd they break up, anyway?"

"Yeah, did you have something to do with it, Zach?" Kevin joked and Zach laughed, awkwardly.

"Oh, of course," He said, sarcastically. He turned to Lucy. "I don't think going over there would be such a good idea though," He said and she frowned. "He won't even let Jen come visit him, he's been pretty sad about Jade so I guess we should just leave him be."

Lucy sighed, giving up. "Fine, whatever," She said, turning back to her station. "You've missed a lot, get back to work." She said and he nodded, with a smile.

* * *

"Not that I mind missing class because I've been called into the office," Jade said, walking into the main office of the school, her cell phone in hand. "But I didn't actually do anything this time, I swear." She said, looking up to see Julie and Ethan standing in front of the principal's office.

"What's going on?" She asked, putting her phone away.

"Come on, sweetie," Julie said, calmly. "Your mom's on her way to pick you up."

"What, why?" Jade asked, confused.

"It's your dad," Julie said, sadly. "He's in the hospital… the cancer's back."


	26. Settling In

**A/N:** I can't stop writing, lol! The next chapter might be up tonight or tomorrow the latest. Thanks again to galindapopular for reviewing!

* * *

After a night out on the town with all the other students, Andria and Lauren returned to Lauren's house, exhausted.

"Tonight was really fun!" Andria said, setting her things down. "I don't think I've had a night like this in… well, forever!"

Lauren smiled. "I'm glad you had fun," She said. "And you better get used to it because this is what we do pretty much every weekend."

Andria smiled and sat on her bed. "Hey, Lauren?" She said and Lauren looked up. "Is there anything you can tell me about Rob? I mean, like, is he single? Would he be interested in a girl like me?" She asked, shyly, and Lauren laughed.

"Yeah, of course," She said, with a smile. "He's single, I can tell you that and I've known Rob all my life and he's only ever been serious about one girl but she kinda broke his heart," She said and Andria nodded. "He's tried to stay away from the whole dating thing but I have a feeling he's going to have a hard time staying away from you." She said and Andria blushed.

"What other things does he like?" Andria said, lying down.

Lauren bit her lip. "Um, well, he likes football… I think you call it soccer?" She said and Andria nodded, giggling. "He DJ's part time on weekends, it's really cool, you definitely have to watch him one day," She said and Andria nodded, excited. "Don't tell him I've told you this but… once you get to know him, he's incredibly sweet and sensitive and if he really cares about you, then he'll treat you like a princess." She said and Andria smiled, sighing. "And even though I don't really know you enough yet, I think you're a good match for him."

Andria smiled and ran over to Lauren, hugging her. "Thank you!" She said and Lauren laughed, patting the young girl's back.

* * *

Back in Minnesota, Melanie sat in the library, waiting for Aidan. Was he not going to show up because of the kiss? She looked around but he was nowhere in sight.

She sighed, getting up, and headed for the halls but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Aidan talking to Jen. Had he not said they were over?

"How's the plan going?" Jen asked Aidan quietly.

He checked his watch. He was late for tutoring but he needed to tell Jen this before he saw Melanie. "Look, Jen," He started. "I don't want to do this anymore, this plan thing," He said and her eyes widened. "It's mean and it was a stupid idea in the first place."

"Oh my God!" Jen whispered. "You're falling for Mel, aren't you?" She asked and he looked away. "I can't believe this!" Jen said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I'm sorry, Jen," He quickly said. "I dunno how it happened but it just did, okay?"

She shook her head. "You better not even think about going after her because I'll tell little Melanie the truth," She quickly said and Aidan looked up at her. "And you're too good of a guy to lie to her again."

"What the hell is wrong with you, Jen?" He asked and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't get what you want so you have to be bitchy and manipulative?"

She nodded. "If you want to survive in this world, you have to be."

He shook his head and walked away, heading for the library. He spotted Mel standing near the lockers and quickly jogged over to her.

"Hey," He said and she looked over at him. "Sorry I'm late, I got caught up with something." He said and she nodded.

"Is everything okay?" She asked and he nodded.

"Of course, don't even worry about it." He said and she nodded. "Should we go?" He said, pointing to the library doors.

"Oh, yeah," She said, with a smile as they headed inside.

* * *

After school, Sophia and Mark walked towards her locker.

"So, how'd you like your first day at Eden?" She asked and he looked at her.

"It was good," He nodded. "I met a lot of interesting people but… there's one in particular I can't seem to get out of my head."

She blushed and he smiled. "I know this may be a bit forward but I, I can't help myself," He said and she raised an eyebrow. "I was just wondering if it would be okay if I took you out to dinner sometime?"

She smiled, but before she could answer, Jared interrupted her.

"Sophia!" He quickly said and she glared at him. "I need to talk to you, alone." He said, seriously but she rolled her eyes.

"I'm kind of in the middle of a conversation here, Jared," She said and then turned back to Mark.

Jared frowned. "It's really important, Soph!" He said and she sighed.

"I'll be right back, okay?" She said and he nodded. "Oh, but I'd love to go to dinner with you," She said and he smiled. "Call me with details later?" She said and he nodded.

She walked over to Jared. "Okay, what is it?"

"You can't go out with Mark." He blurted out and she rolled her eyes. "I'm not jealous, I know I had my chance and I blew it but Sabrina was telling me that Mark has a tendency mess with girls."

"Oh, you mean kinda like you?" She asked, smirking.

He smiled. "You're getting better at this, I like it." He said and she shook her head. "But really, I'm serious." He said. "Sabrina said Mark had like, three girlfriends and he dumped them all for French twins!" He told her and she gave him a look. "_I _wouldn't even do something like that."

"You're just making this up because you're jealous." She said and he sighed.

"Okay, I'm jealous but I'm not making this up, Soph," He said and she sighed. "I wouldn't want to see you hurt again."

"Whatever," She shook her head. "I don't need you to worry about me." She said, walking away and Jared sighed.


	27. Coming Together

**A/N:** So, no reviews :( makes me really sad, if no one's actually reading this then I don't know if I'm going to update this anymore...

* * *

Ethan walked down the halls alone the next week at school. He'd been going crazy thinking about him and Molly's kiss ever since it happened, but she had been ignoring him ever since. And now with his father's cancer back, he really needed someone to talk to.

He spotted her at her locker and decided he was going to talk to her.

"Molly!" He shouted, jogging over to her.

She looked at him, sighed and then turned away but he wasn't going to give up.

"Molly, please, just hear me out," He said and she looked at him. "Something's happened and you're the only person I can talk to about this stuff." He said and she sighed, sympathetically.

"Is it about your dad?" She asked and he nodded, sadly. He leaned on the locker and slid to the ground, she did the same. "Yeah, Jade told me," She said. "I'm so sorry, Ethan," She whispered, taking his hand. "I know you need a friend right now, and I'm ready to be that friend for you but… just a friend, okay?"

He nodded and she hugged him.

* * *

Ryan walked into the school and headed for his locker.

"Hey, Conway!" He heard someone behind him shout. He spun around and groaned when he saw Connor approaching him.

"What do you want, Riley?" He asked and Connor chuckled.

"I wouldn't be so rude, Conway," He warned and Ryan glared at him. "I still know your secret."

"Yeah? And I can still kick your ass but you haven't seen me do it yet, have you?" He said and Connor looked at him, curiously. "If you wanted to tell people, you would've by now so why don't you cut the crap and let me know when you're going to tell everyone my secret so me and Gaby can be prepared to deal with it."

Connor laughed. "I'm not going to tell anyone." He said and Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Remember that whole thing about me having a soul?" He said and Ryan nodded, suspiciously. "Well, as long as you keep it between us, I'll keep your secret." He said and Ryan was speechless.

"Really?" He said, in disbelief. Connor nodded. "I guess we'll have to see about that then, huh?"

Connor smiled and Ryan watched him walk away, laughing.

Did that actually just happen?

* * *

Casey was finally aloud back on the ice after behind in a hospital for one week and on crutches for another. He laced up his skates and headed onto the ice to practice on his own.

He started circling the rink, as his speed accelerated.

"You keep that up and you're gonna be in the hospital again!" He heard someone say.

He spun around and saw Julie walking onto the ice.

"Hey Julie." He said, with a smile, as he skated towards her.

"Hi Casey, how are you doing?"

"Good," He nodded and then noticed her growing belly. "Wow, you're almost there, huh?"

She laughed. "Yeah, just a few more months, I'm so excited!" She said, happily and he smiled. "Listen, sweetie, I don't want you think that I'm trying to poke my nose in your business but… I heard about you and Jade's breakup." She said and he nodded. "How are you doing with that?"

"I don't know," He shrugged, sighing. He didn't feel weird talking about this with Julie, he felt comfortable. "She, um, slept with my brother so it's really awkward at home but I don't know, I'm just trying to figure out how to deal with it, how to forgive her."

Julie nodded. "That must be tough," She said. "I can't even imagine how I'd feel if Dean ever cheated on me, especially with my siblings," She said and he nodded. "I've been in Jade's position before though." She said and he looked up at her.

"You cheated on Dean?" He asked, surprised and she nodded.

"We weren't technically dating but we still liked each other, a lot," She explained. "Our friend, Luis and I decided we'd date to make Dean jealous and one night we got drunk and we made a bad decision," She said and Casey nodded. "But that bad decision gave me my daughter, and I wouldn't change that for the world."

Casey nodded. "How did Dean react when he found out?"

"He was upset," Julie nodded. "Like you are and he had every right to be," She said. "But I was hurting too, I was alone and I was scared and I missed him," She continued and he nodded. "Jade's going through a really hard time right now," She said and Casey looked up at her confused. "She needs you and even if you two don't get back together, I know you want to be there for her."

"What's wrong with Jade?" He asked, worriedly.

Julie looked behind her and smiled. "I guess she'll have to tell you herself." She said, walking away and Jade appeared.

Casey looked away and Jade approached him on the ice.

"Hi," She said and he nodded. "I see you're feeling better." She said, with a smile.

"Yeah," He nodded. "But apparently you're feeling worse?" He asked and she looked away. "Are you pregnant or something, Jade?"

She looked at him. "What? Of course not!"

"Okay, then what the hell is going on?" He asked. "Julie said you were going through a hard time or something."

She shook her head. "If I tell you, you're just going to feel sorry for me and I don't want you to talk to me just because you feel bad or guilty or whatever."

He walked closer to her. "Jade, just because we're broken up doesn't mean I don't still care about you." He said and she looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. "Oh, baby, what it is?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her.

She shook her head. "It's… my dad." She whispered. "His cancer's back and I don't think he's going to make it." She said, burying her face in his chest.

He closed his eyes, not knowing what to say that could possibly make things better for her. "I'm so sorry, baby," He said, hugging her. "I'm here for you, okay?" He said and she nodded. "Always." He said, kissing her forehead.

* * *

Lucy walked furiously over to Zach's locker. She had just heard from someone in her class that he had slept with Jade Germaine and she couldn't believe it.

"Zach!" She shouted and he looked at her, noticing the fury in her eyes.

"Lucy? What's wrong?"

"Did you sleep with Jade Germaine?" She asked and he looked at her.

"Lucy…"

"Did you?!" He nodded. She swallowed the lump in her throat and slapped him hard across the face. "I hate you." She whispered, running away, heart broken.


	28. I Need You Now, Like I Needed You Then

**A/N:** Thanks again for reviewing, galindadpopular! FF is being a bitch lately so I hope this chapter shows up. Also, new pictures on my profile, go check em out! Please review, lots of drama coming up :)

* * *

Melanie was on her way to the office. She was freaking out. What had she done that they had to pull her out of class for?

She took a deep breath and headed down towards the hall but before she could make it to the office, she was yanked into another hallway.

"What the hell?" She shouted, jerking her arm away from whoever had grabbed her. She became quickly embarrassed when she realized it was Aidan. "What are you doing?!" She whispered.

"I need to talk to you about something." He said and she looked up at him.

"Well, it'll have to wait," She said. "I have to go to the office."

He shook his head. "Nah, that was juts me." He said with a smile and she looked at him curiously. "What? My mom's on the school board, I have connections."

She rolled her eyes and headed back to class but he followed her, stopping her.

"Where are you going?" He asked her and she looked at him.

"Back to class," She said. "You can't just pull me out of class and expect me to be okay with it, Aidan," She said. "I actually like school and want to succeed." She said but before she could walk away again, he pulled her into a kiss.

She pushed him away. "I can't do this." She whispered, looking up at him.

"But you want to." He smiled, kissing her again.

* * *

It was finally lunch and Jen was searching for Casey. She had just received a call from a distraught Jade telling her that Guy might not make it. Jade needed Casey and even though Jade had asked Jen not to tell her brother about Guy, she was going to anyway.

"Casey!" She shouted, spotting him at his locker. She ran over to him. "You have to go to the hospital."

"Why? What happened?" he asked, worriedly.

"It's Jade," She said and his eyes widened. "Well, it's her dad… he might not make it and she needs you."

He nodded, closing his locker.

"I'll come after school, okay?" She said. "Call me if anything happens though."

"Of course," he nodded. "Thanks, for telling me."

She smiled. "Just take care of her, okay?" She whispered, hugging him.

"I will." He nodded and then headed out to his car.

* * *

In London, the four teenagers were sitting at the park trying to get to know each other better. And while Andria and Rob were doing just that, they'd be talking privately the entire afternoon, Lauren was trying to get Nick's attention but he seemed to be fully concentrated on watching the couple interact.

Lauren sighed disappointedly. She wanted to get to know Nick; he was cute, smart and funny… just what she needed.

Andria separated herself from Rob and turned to her two friends. "Um, we're gonna head back home," She said, looking over at Rob and giggling. "Actually, to Rob's place, he wants to show me a new mix he made." She said and Lauren nodded. "See you later!" She smiled, catching up with Rob has they headed to his car.

"So," Lauren started. "How long have you been in love with Andria?" She asked and he finally looked at her, confused. "Oh, come on, it's totally obvious."

He sighed. "It's been like two years," He shook his head. "The first time I saw her freshmen year, I just… I knew I had to have her but, she's not into guys like me." He shrugged and Lauren nodded. "How'd you know?"

"I could see it in the way you look at her," She said and he nodded.

"Like the same way you look at Rob?" He asked, smirking and she raised an eyebrow.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" She said and he gave her a look. She sighed. "Fine, I'm in love with him, so what?" Nick laughed. "He only sees me as a friend anyway," She shrugged.

He nodded. "Well, that can change." He said and she looked up at him. "Maybe if we both go tell them how we feel we can finally get what we want?"

She looked at him. "I dunno," She shook her head. "I don't think I can just spontaneously tell Rob how I feel…"

"Why not?" He asked. "Aren't the best things done that way anyway?" He asked and she shrugged. "Come on," he said, standing up and reaching for her hand. "Let's go."

She hesitated at first but then reached for his hand as he pulled her up. They headed for Rob's apartment and quickly headed up the stairs.

"I'm really nervous," She admitted and Nick looked at her. "I've never done this type of thing before."

He smiled. "Don't worry," He whispered, taking her hand. "I'm right here." He promised and she nodded.

They quickly knocked on the door and Rob answered, shirtless, as he began re-doing his belt buckle.

"Oh!" Lauren said, covering her mouth when she saw Andria in the background, wearing nothing but Rob's t-shirt. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright," Rob nodded, laughing awkwardly. "You could come in if you'd like."

Nick looked over at Lauren and saw the hurt in her face. "No, that's okay," He said, squeezing Lauren's hand. "We have somewhere to be." He said and Rob nodded.

"I'll see you later, then, Lauren?" He asked and Lauren nodded quickly, trying to get out of there as soon as possible.

Nick took her hand let her out of the building.

* * *

Jade sat on the floor, her back against the wall, in one of the hospital hallways. She couldn't be around her family right now, she knew what could happen to her dad and she knew she should have been supporting them but she couldn't be around them, not without the one person who was able to make her feel better.

She rested her head on her knee and started to cry, thinking about what life would be like without her dad.

She heard footsteps coming towards her but she didn't look up, expecting it to be Jen.

"Jade?"

She couldn't believe it. She looked up. "Casey?"

"Oh, baby," He whispered, coming down next to her and wrapping his arms around her. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest, letting everything out. "It's okay, baby," He whispered, kissing her hair. "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, and neither is your dad, okay?"

"You don't know that." Jade's muffled voice said.

He sighed. "He's a fighter, where do you think you got it from?" He smiled and she looked up at him. "He's going to be okay, I promise."

She nodded and rested her head in his chest again. "I'm glad you're here," She whispered, tugging on his collar. "I needed you."

He smiled, hugging her closer. "I told you I'm here for you, always."


	29. Save Me

**A/N:** Thanks again to galindapopular for reviewing! You motivate me to keep going even though there aren't many people reviewing anymore.

* * *

"I hope it's alright that we do the tutoring here tonight," Aidan said, walking Mel to his door the next day. "My mom said I've been spending too much time going out so she wants me home," He said, shaking his head. "And plus, with my sister in England and my dad at work all day, she gets kinda lonely." He explained and she nodded.

"It's okay," She smiled. "Is she here now?" She asked, as they walked in.

"Um, I'm not sure," He said, looking around the living room. "She's probably around somewhere." He shrugged and she nodded, walking in.

"Wow, your house is gorgeous." She said, staring in awe.

He smiled, watching her. "Yeah, it's one of the perks you get when your dad's a major famous hockey player and your mom's a retired soap star." He said and she laughed.

"Well, my dad's a mechanic; I bet your bathroom's bigger than my room!" She joked and he laughed.

"Is money tight or…?"

"I guess it's always been a little tight," She shrugged. "My mom's big dream to be an actress didn't work out so well and now she works in an office," She explained and he nodded. "She hates it and now paying Casey's medicals bills is going to be pretty tough…"

"I'm sorry," Aidan said and she looked up at him. "I wish there was something I could do for you."

She looked at him and shook her head. "I don't know why I just told you that, I'm sorry," She said, getting her books out of her back and setting them on the table. "Should we get started?"

He smiled, watching her. "Sure." He said, walking over to her and sitting down.

* * *

Andria walked into Lauren's room after spending the day with Rob. She hadn't spoken to Lauren, or even Nick, since the awkward moment at Rob's apartment.

She walked in and saw that Lauren was sitting on her bed, flipping through a magazine.

"Oh my _God, _Lauren!" She quickly said and Lauren looked up at her. "I am _so _sorry you two had to walk in on that!"

"It's fine," Lauren said, with a smile and Andria sat on the edge of the bed. "I just didn't know you two were moving that fast."

"Yeah," Andria nodded. "We're just… _really _attracted to each other."

"Right, that's great." Lauren nodded and Andria frowned.

"Look, I know he's your friend and you're just trying to look out for him but… you said I'd be good for him, right?" Andria asked and Lauren looked up at her, trying to figure out why on earth she would ever say that to Andria.

"Oh," Lauren smiled. "Of course you are."

"Okay," Andria smiled, getting off the bed. "So, we're cool, right?"

"Yeah," Lauren nodded, looking back down at her magazine. "We're cool."

* * *

"So, how is it in London?" Sophia asked Mark. They were on their date at some fancy restaurant and Sophia couldn't wait to get to know him a little better.

"It's quite beautiful," He said, with a smile. "I love it, the parties, the girls, they're great." He smirked and she raised an eyebrow. "I'm only kidding, but it is beautiful there."

She nodded. "I can only imagine… it's probably nothing like it is here, huh?"

He shook his head. "Not really, but the people are the same."

"Why do you say that?" She asked.

He shrugged. "We have our Jen Reeds', our Aidan Banks', our Ryan Conways'," He said and she laughed. "We also have our Jared Portmans'." He said and she looked at him. "Come on, I know there's still something going on with the two of you."

She shook her head. "No, there _was,_" She said, annoyed that she had to explain this to him again. "Yes, I did like him but he ruined his chances with me and I got over it a long time ago, okay?"

Mark nodded. "Okay, sorry for bringing it up." he said and she blushed.

"What about you?" She asked and he looked at her, curiously. "Your sister told Jared all about all the girlfriends you have back home." She said and he laughed, nervously.

"That's just Sabrina trying to get back at me for something I did to her boyfriend back at home," He said and Sophia raised an eyebrow. "I'm completely single, trust me." He said and she nodded.


	30. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing! The next chapter is almost done so it should be uploaded in a few hours. Enjoy and don't forget to review :)

* * *

Casey walked into his house and threw his keys on the coffee table in the living room. His heart went out to Jade and what she was going through. It was around two a.m and Jade had told him to go home and get some sleep, promising him that she'd be fine, so he did, but all he wanted to do was be with her. He rubbed his eyes and walked into the kitchen. He jumped when he saw his mother sitting at the counter.

"Jesus, mom!" He said, surprised. "Why are you still up?"

"I was worried about you," She told him, standing up. "There's some stuff we have to talk about Casey."

He looked at her. "Okay, can it wait until tomorrow? I'm exhausted…"

"No, honey," Tammy shook her head. "It can't, this is really important."

"Mom, what it is?" He asked worriedly.

"Is everything alright with you, Casey?" She asked and he looked away. "You haven't been yourself that much lately, you've been so… angry."

"I don't want to talk about this," He said, turning away but she got up and stopped him. "Mom, let go… I don't want to hurt you."

"You see!" She shouted, letting go. "What is it, huh? Why are you so mad all the time?"

"I don't know, okay!" He shouted back. "I just am and I don't know what to do about it."

She nodded. "I was talking to the school guidance counselor…" She trailed and he looked at her.

"No, there's no way in hell I'm talking to her!" He said.

"Okay, what about a psychiatrist?" She offered and he looked at her.

"That's even worse! I'm not going to talk to some stranger about my problems, mom, I'm just not." He said and she nodded, understandingly.

"Okay, but sweetie… you have to talk to someone and get proper treatment before this gets out of hand." She said and he looked away. She put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed it comfortingly. "I just want you to be happy again, that's all."

He looked at her and she saw that he had tears in his eyes.

"Oh, honey!" She said, pulling him into a hug. "It's okay baby, I'm right here."

"I don't know what's wrong with me," He said, resting his head on her chest. "I don't want to be like this anymore."

She nodded and pulled away, cupping his face in her hands. "We're going to get you some help, okay? I promise." He nodded and she hugged him again.

* * *

After hearing about Guy's recovery, Nora and Charlie decided they'd pay him a visit. Ethan needed someone to be there for him and Nora didn't know if he had that right now.

"I'll meet you back here later, okay?" Charlie said and Nora nodded. "Be good, sweetie." He whispered, kissing his daughter's forehead.

"I will, dad." She smiled and Charlie walked into Guy's room.

Nora's eyes scanned the hospital for Ethan and she spotted him sitting alone in one of the chairs.

She walked over to him and he looked up at her. "Hey," She smiled and he stood up. "I'm so happy your dad's going to be okay." She said, hugging him and he rested his head on her shoulder, not letting her go for a little while.

He then quickly pulled away and looked at her. "Wow, you're getting pretty big, huh?" He joked and she laughed. "What are you now, four, five months?"

"Six, actually," She corrected, laughing. "Um, do you think your dad's cancer would be passed onto our baby?" She asked and he looked at her.

"I don't know…" He shook his head. "It's a possibility."

She swallowed. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that I plan on keeping it."

He looked at her. "You're joking, right?" He asked but she shook her head. "Nora, are you crazy? There is no way you can keep it!"

"Why not?" She asked, offended.

"Nora, we're _sixteen _years old… we don't know anything about raising a baby!" He told her. "I thought we already went through this? We're way too young to have a baby and plus… we're not even together anymore!"

"So? It doesn't matter!" She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't want to give up the baby, I wanna raise it and if I have to do it alone then I will!" She said, angrily and then walked away, leaving Ethan speechless.

* * *

Sophia finally returned home from her date with Mark and was surprised when she found Jared sitting on her steps.

"Jared," She said, with a fake smile. "To what do I owe this honor?" She said, sarcastically and he laughed, standing up.

"How was your date?" He asked and she gave him a look.

"It was great," She told him. "Not that it's any of _your _business."

"Bullshit." He smirked and she raised an eyebrow. "You had a horrible time."

She narrowed her eyes at him and groaned. "Fine, I did." She said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Mark's too into himself to be into anyone else." She rolled her eyes and he laughed. "Kinda like you!"

"Very funny." He said and she smiled.

"He just wasn't the right guy for me…" She trailed, shrugging.

"That's because the right guy is standing right in front of you." He told her as he moved closer to her.

"No," She shook her head. "You had your chance and you blew it! How many times do we have to go over this?"

"Until you realize that you're wrong." He said and by now, their faces were just inches apart. "Let me take you out on a date… like, a real, proper date."

But before she was able to answer the door swung open and Luis came out. Jared quickly pulled away and Sophia laughed.

"Jared," Luis started. "May I ask what the hell you are doing in front of my house, with my daughter, at ten o'clock at night?"

"Uh, I was just… making sure Sophia got home okay." Jared lied, nervously. "You never know with people these days…" He trailed and Sophia laughed.

"Okay, well I'm telling you to stay away from my daughter," He said and Sophia looked at him. "I was a teenage boy once too, you know? I got your mother pregnant at a very young age and I swear if you even _touch _my daughter-"

"Okay, dad!" Sophia said, giving him a warning look. "You don't have to worry; Jared won't be _touching _me ever." She said and Luis nodded.

"Come inside, it's getting late." He said and Sophia nodded, doing as she was told. "And Jared, please go home!"

Jared nodded. "Yes, sir…" He trailed, turning to head to his car.

He felt his phone vibrate and saw a text message from Sophia.

_I'll think about it. xo – S_

He smiled to himself and put the phone away, walking to his car.


	31. Telling the Truth

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing :) And galindapopular, I already have that scene written up lol you'll see what I have in store for those two! Here's the next chapter, it's a little longer than I would have liked, I had to take some stuff out, but enjoy! :)

* * *

"We haven't done this in a while." Sophia smiled, as she and Andy walked towards the pond.

"Yeah," He nodded. "You've been so busy with you're _boyfriend_." He teased and she rolled her eyes.

"He's definitely not my boyfriend!" She told him. "Mark's a great guy but… not for me." She explained and Andy nodded.

"So, you ready to go?" He asked as he laced up his skates.

"Andy, can we just sit for a little while before we go on the ice?" She asked and he nodded, skating over to her.

"Sure." He nodded and they took a seat on one of the benches. "What's on your mind?"

"How'd you know something was on my mind?" She asked, smiling.

"Because you haven't started freaking out about falling in yet… that means there's something else that you're worried about," He said and she looked away. "Come on, tell me, you know I'm always here for me."

"It's nothing, really," She told him and he looked away. "Andy, it's not important."

"Is it about Jared?" He asked and she looked down. He rolled his eyes. "When are you gonna wake up and realize that Jared's an asshole to you, Sophia?" He asked and her eyes widened. "I mean, you could have everything you want, it's right in front of you but you're just too damn stubborn and hung up on Jared to see it!"

"Everything I want? What do you mean?" She asked, confused and then he kissed her. He eyes widened with shock. "Andy!"

"I'm in love with you." He told her and she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "These last few weeks sucked without you, okay?" He told her. "And I know you don't feel the same way but I just thought you had a right to know."

"Oh, Andy," She whispered, reaching for his hand but he pulled away. "Don't be mad at me."

"I'm not," He shook his head. "It's just a little hard for me, okay?" He said and she nodded. He stood up. "I'm gonna go, we'll do this another time, maybe." He said, as he started undoing his skates.

"No, Andy, don't leave." She begged. "We can just pretend this ever happened, erase it and have a nice time."

He shook his head. "I can't erase how I feel about you, Soph," He said and she looked away. "I'll see you around." He said, kissing her forehead and then walked away.

* * *

Lauren was having a party at her house and everyone was having a good time, except for her and Nick.

They watched in disgust as Andria and Rob made out on one of the couches.

"That's it," Lauren said, getting up. "I can't handle this anymore." She said and Nick stood up too. She started walking away and he followed her.

"Where are you going?" He asked, grabbing her arm.

"To get a drink… or two!" She said and he raised an eyebrow.

"You, drink?" He said and she nodded. He laughed. "Lauren, you don't need a drink, we can just go if you feel uncomfortable."

"No," She shook her head, looking down. "Just because their making out doesn't mean our fun night should be ruined," She said and he nodded. "So, let's go find some drinks!" She said, pulling him into the other room.

He laughed and followed her. One little drink wouldn't hurt… right?

* * *

Jared sat as his desk doing homework when he heard a knock on his door. He looked up and was surprised to see Sabrina at his doorway.

"Uh, hey," He said, standing up. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled, walking over to him. "Are you home alone?" She asked and he looked at her.

"Uh, yeah, I think so… why?"

She smiled again. "Perfect." She said, grabbing his collar and pushing him onto the bed. He watched, speechless, as she straddled him and then kissed him.

"Are you okay with this?" She asked, in between kisses.

He looked at her. "Hell yeah." He said, kissing her again. She started taking off her top but that was when Jared realized what he was doing. He stopped her. "No, we're not doing this." He said, firmly and she gave him a look.

"Jared Portman doesn't want to have sex?" She asked and he looked at her, curiously. "I've heard about your reputation and since I _thought _you wanted me…"

"I'm trying to show Sophia that I'm serious about her." He told her and she rolled her eyes. "And I am, I really want to be with her."

She pretended to yawn. "Sophia's boring and besides… I thought you liked trouble?" She asked and then kissed him again, this time he didn't pull away.

"What the hell?"

Jared pushed Sabrina off him and saw Gabrielle at his doorway.

"Gaby," He sighed. "This isn't what it looks like."

She shook her head. "After everything you put Sophia through, you're going to do this to her?" She asked. "I can't believe you!"

"Gaby, I swear, we weren't…"

"We totally were." Sabrina cut in and Jared looked at her. "So, maybe you should go so we can have some privacy."

Gaby's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "I think _you're _the one who should leave and get your hands _off _my baby brother!" She shouted.

"Yeah," Jared nodded, standing up. "I told you before, I'm serious about Sophia."

"Right," Sabrina nodded, rolling her eyes as she stood up. "I'll believe that when I see it." She said.

"Okay, you can leave now." Gaby smiled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I am," She nodded and then turned to Jared. "Just remember that I love revenge and I'm _very _good at it." She winked and Jared looked at her, confused.

She smiled and finally walked out of the house.

"Care to explain?" Gaby asked and Jared looked up at her.

"Not really," He shook his head and Gaby gave him a look. "She came here, started making out with me and then took her shirt off… I told her no, Gaby!"

"I'm sure you did." She said, shaking her head.

"Gaby, I swear, okay? I wouldn't do that to Sophia again." He said, sincerely and she nodded.

"Well, just because I want to see the two of you together I'm going to keep this to myself and you'd be smart if you did too." She warned and he nodded. She walked over to him and kissed his head. "Be good, Little Brother."

He smiled. "You're one to talk." He winked and she gasped, and then laughed, walking out of the room.

* * *

"You look so hot in that bikini." Rob said to Andria as they played in the pool inside of Lauren's house. She giggled and he swam over to where she was sitting on the ledge of the pool. "But you'd look even hotter out of it." He whispered and she kissed him.

"Upstairs in my room?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Lauren's probably downstairs with Nick somewhere; we'll have all the privacy we need." She said and he nodded, following her upstairs.

They continued kissing as the walked into the room but were surprised when they saw that two people had already beaten them to the chase.

Rob turned on the light and they were shocked to see Nick and Lauren, finishing what they were about to start.

"Oh my God!" Andria shouted, covering her eyes and Lauren did the same, covering herself with the covers.

"You fucking asshole!" Rob shouted, angrily as he punched Nick.

"Rob!" Lauren shouted, getting out of the bed, the sheets wrapped around her tiny frame. "I think you both need to _leave_!" Lauren said, to Nick and Rob. "Go!" She shouted and they did as they were told. "We're not talking about this." Lauren said to Andria as she climbed into bed.

Andria nodded, still shocked and grabbed some clothes to change into.


	32. The Past

**A/N:** Thanks so much for reviewing! SnarkyWays, your review made me smile :) I hope to hear from you again in the future. Here's more, MAJOR drama coming up in the next few chapters, can't wait to see what you guys think!

* * *

Ethan and Molly sat in his basement while Ethan played the guitar and Molly was fooling around with the piano.

"Hey, wait a minute," He said and she looked at him. "That sounded really good, do it again." He said and she did. "Keep going." He told her and she did. He started strumming a few notes on the guitar and Molly smiled.

"That sounds really good!" She said, as she continued to play. He nodded and continued and that was when she started singing.

"I need to write this down!" Ethan said, running to find a notepad. Molly laughed, watching him.

* * *

Sophia sat in her kitchen staring at the hot chocolate she was currently stirring. What was she going to do? Andy had just confessed he was in love with her but Jared was being so unbelievably sweet and just… Jared. She knew she had feelings for one of them but she wasn't about to break the two brothers apart.

She shook her head and sighed, taking a sip.

"I'm home!" She heard someone say and spun around, excitedly. It couldn't be. "Did you miss me?"

She got up from her chair and ran into his arms. "Chris!" She shouted, hugging him again and he laughed, dropping his bags. "I missed you so much!" She whispered and he nodded, hugging her back.

"I missed you too." He smiled and she pulled away.

"What are you doing home, though?" She asked. "I mean, I thought you were only coming home next week?"

He nodded. "Tennis camp wasn't as fun as I thought it would be," He told her and she nodded, picking up one of his bags as they headed upstairs. "Plus, Gaby called me and told me you were kind of a mess."

Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Well, I hope Gaby knows I'm never telling her anything again!" She said and he laughed. "It's not funny, Christian, you didn't have to come home early because of me, I'm fine!"

He groaned at the sound of his full name and then rolled his eyes. "You're not fine," He told her, sitting her down on his bed. "You need me," He smiled and she playfully hit him. "Now, tell me everything."

"Are you sure you want to know _everything_?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

He gave her a look. "If you've been having sex, please leave that part out!" He grimaced and she hit him again.

"No, I haven't been having sex, you little perv!" She shouted and he laughed. "I just…" She sighed, wondering where to begin. "Let me make this short and sweet, well minus the sweet," She laughed. "Jared's being Jared and Andy told me he was in love with me."

Christian raised his eyebrows. "Whoa, that's pretty… huge." He said and she nodded. "Well, it can't be that hard, right? I mean which one do you have feelings for?" He asked. "Cough, Jared, cough!" He teased and she glared at him.

"It's not as easy as I thought it would be," She told him. "I mean, it's Jared… there's always been something there but he doesn't know how to handle commitment, especially when it comes to me," She said. "And then there's Andy, who's the total, complete opposite of Jared and he's so sweet and loyal but…"

"But he's not Jared." He continued for her and she nodded.

"Does that make me a bad person? I mean, I kissed Andy… well, he kissed me but I let him," She explained. "I don't want to hurt him."

Chris nodded. "I get it but you kinda have to," He told her. "You can't just keep stringing him along while you and Jared do whatever it is that you do," He said and she nodded. "You just have to be honest with him, and sure, maybe he'll be sad and hurt at first, but he'll get over it." He promised and she nodded.

"Why do you know so much about relationships and I know squat?" She asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

He smirked. "Probably because I listen to Uncle Dean more than you do," He said and she gave him a look.

"You learned all this from Dean?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," He nodded. "Last summer, when we went on that camping trip with them, we went fishing and it was just me and him, we sat on the boat and he told me exactly how he got Aunt Julie," He explained. "At first it was all just fun and games but then he really fell in love with her, you know?" He said and she nodded. "He was scared too but one day he realized that he really loved this girl and there was no way anyone else was going to have her but him."

She smiled, thinking of how Dean and Julie were as teenagers. "And look at 'em now, happier than ever, having a baby!" She smiled and he nodded.

"See? That's why you gotta pay more attention to Uncle Dean." He smirked and she laughed.

"Did I mention that I missed you?" She said, hugging him again.

"Maybe once or twice but it never hurts to hear you say it again." He smiled.

* * *

Jen knocked on the Banks' door and Aidan opened it.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Jen, I don't want to do this…"

"Just hear me out," She begged. "Please?"

"Fine." He nodded, letting her in.

She ran her fingers through her hair. She was nervous, he observed, he had never seen her like this before.

"I… I don't know what I was thinking," She said and he looked at her. "I've been thinking about our… _arrangement _and it was so delusional and stupid! I don't know what was going through my mind," She said and he looked at her, surprised. "I guess I was just scared that I was going to lose you because… I like you, a lot." She said, her eyes filling with tears.

He sighed and pulled her in for a hug and she rested her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him. "I'm so sorry, Aidan, please say that you forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you." He whispered and she nodded.

"Do you still want me?" She asked and he brushed a piece of hair out of her face.

He smiled. "I'll always want you… you're my dream girl, you know that."

She smiled softly and kissed him. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her as they headed up to his bedroom.

* * *

Gabrielle sat in her room, looking through her computer. She was smiling as she looked at pictures of her and Ryan. She wished she was able to share how happy she was with him with her family and friends. She sighed and then her eyes widened when a picture of her and a boy who wasn't Ryan popped onto her screen.

She took a deep breath as she stared at her picture. It was her and her ex-boyfriend, Tyler Vanderbilt, during Christmas two years ago. They looked so happy and in love, they were both wearing Santa hats and his arm was draped over her shoulder and her head was rested on his. She smiled at the memory… that was one of the best Christmases.

A message popped up from her messenger and she gasped.

_Good times, huh_?

The message said and when she saw that it was from Tyler she shook her head. She wasn't going to answer him, she wasn't going to give in… she was happy now with Ryan and she wasn't going to let Tyler ruin that.

She picked up her phone and dialed Ryan's number. "Hi, baby," She greeted. "I want to tell people about us… tonight."


	33. Truth

**A/N:** Yay, thanks for the reviews! Here's the big chapter, hope you all like it! There's a MAJOR, drama-filled story line coming up that I seriously just came up with today in class and I can't wait to write it! Keep the reviews coming!

* * *

Ryan and Gabrielle were standing in the entrance of the Portman house and Gabrielle could sense Ryan's nerves.

"Don't worry," She smiled. "I mean, they'll probably be mad at first but they'll come around once they see how happy we are." She told him.

"I wish I was as optimistic as you," He said and she laughed. "Why now? I mean, what changed from all the other times we wanted to tell them but didn't?"

She looked at him and swallowed. "Um, I don't know," She lied. "I'm just tired of the sneaking around and never seeing you, I guess." She said and he nodded. They heard a car coming and she squeezed his hand. "We can do this." She whispered and he smiled nodded.

Dean walked in and looked at the two, confused. "Um, hi Gaby," He said and looked at Ryan. "Hello Ryan."

"Hi, ." Ryan nodded.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Not to be rude but I mean, Jared's gonna be at soccer for the next two hours…"

Ryan nodded.

"He's not here for Jared." Gaby said and Dean looked at her. "We have to wait for everyone to get here before we can explain." She said Dean raised an eyebrow.

"And everyone would be?"

"The rest of our family, my dad, Livvie, the Conway's…" She trailed and Dean looked at her.

"Gaby, what the hell is going on?" He asked.

"You'll have to wait and see," She said, undoing his tie for him. "Why don't you go upstairs and relax and we'll call you when everyone gets here, kay?"

He looked at her, not knowing what to think of all this, but he had had a long, tiring day and right now, he didn't really care what Gabrielle was up to.

"Fine, as long as it doesn't upset your mother," He said and Gabrielle looked over at Ryan. "The baby's almost due and I don't want her stressing about anything."

"Right." She nodded, watching him go up the stairs. When the coast was clear, she looked over at Ryan, worriedly. "Maybe we shouldn't tell them!" She whispered and he looked at her.

"Gaby, we don't really have a choice… we kind of told everyone to come here and that it was urgent." He told her and she nodded. He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them comfortingly. "It's going to be okay, I promise you that no matter what happens… I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled and then Julie walked in with Andy.

"Gaby," She said. "Would you mind telling me why you invited the Conway's over without my permission?" She asked, as she walked over to them, followed by Lindsey, Charlie, Luis and Livvie.

"Oh good," Gabrielle smiled, nervously. "You're all here… please sit down."

"Gaby…" Julie started but Gabrielle gave her a look and then Dean walked down. "Dean, do you know what's going on?" She asked and he kissed her cheek.

"Not at all," He shook his head. "Let's just hear her out." He said and she nodded.

"Okay, so," She started. "Um… you're probably wondering why we asked all of you here tonight," She continued and everyone looked at her, confused. She looked over to Ryan, who was sitting with his parents and he gave her an encouraging nod. "Well… me and Ryan have an announcement." She said and everyone raised an eyebrow as Ryan stood up and walked over to Gaby.

"Um, well, I don't really know where to start," Ryan said, looking at Gaby for help.

She turned to her family and sighed. "We've been dating for six months." She blurted out and everyone's jaw dropped.

Luis quickly stood up and Dean had to stop him from hurting Ryan.

All hell broke lose and everyone was yelling at each other while Ryan and Gaby were stuck in the middle.

"You're relationship with him is _over_!" Luis shouted and Gaby shook her head.

"You can't tell me what to do, Dad, I'm an adult!" She said.

"Yeah, but Ryan isn't!" Lindsey piped in and Gaby looked at her.

"Mom, we love each other, what does it matter if there's an age difference?" He said and Lindsey shook his head.

"You don't know what love is at this age." Charlie said and Gabrielle gasped.

"Really? Because if I remember correctly _all _of you met and 'fell in love' when you were his age!" She shouted and the adults all looked at each other.

"There wasn't an illegal age difference, though." Julie told her, calmly.

"It doesn't matter, their relationship is over and we're leaving, now." Luis said, standing up and Gabrielle looked at him.

"No, Dad, please don't go." She said, her eyes filling with tears. "I just want you to accept us!" She said but Luis shook his head. "You can't tell me what to do anymore; I'm twenty-four years old!"

"Yeah, well, Ryan is only seventeen and I'm deciding that the two of you aren't aloud to see each other anymore." Lindsey said and Ryan looked at her.

"Mom, you can't do this!" Ryan shouted, as Lindsey collected her things.

"Like hell she can." Charlie said. "Let's go, now."

Gaby started crying and shook her head. "This is so unfair!" She shouted, watching Ryan leave.

Ryan looked back at her, sadly. "I'm sorry." He shook his head and then left.

Gabrielle turned to her parents. "I _hate _you both!" She shouted and stormed up the stairs.

"Way to act like the mature adult you claim to be!" Luis shouted and she responded with a door slam.

* * *

Jade ran down the stairs and opened the door. She smiled when she saw Casey.

"Hi," She said as he walked in.

"Hey." He smiled back and she realized how fast her heart was beating. She couldn't believe she was getting nervous for Casey. They hadn't made the decision of getting back together yet and Jade was scared that Casey didn't want to be with her anymore.

"Um, sit down." She smiled, as they walked into the living room. "How was it?" She asked, referring to his first session with his therapist.

"It was okay," He shrugged. "I didn't really talk much, just about my parents, my lifestyle… you." He said and she looked up at him.

"What did you say about me?" She asked, self-consciously.

He laughed. "Good things, I promise," He said and she nodded. "About how you're always there for me and how you'd do anything to protect me," He said and she tried to hide her smile. "I miss you, baby," He said and she looked up at him. "It's gonna sound kinda cheesy but I feel… lost without you."

"I miss you too." She smiled and he put his hand on her knee, rubbing it comfortingly. "I know we've been through a lot these past couple of weeks and a lot has happened but… do you think it's possible for us to put all of that in the past?" She asked. "I mean, I know we can't change what we did, but I forgive you and if you're willing to forgive me-" She was cut off by Casey kissing her. He brought his hands up and cupped her face and she gave in, never feeling so happy to kiss someone in her life.

She pulled away and smiled. "I love you." She whispered and he nodded.

"Me too, sweetie, me too."


	34. One Day

A/N: Thanks for the reviews :) I hope people are enjoying the drama because there's a LOT more to come. Have a great week and keep those reviews coming!

* * *

Gaby picked up the phone and tried dialing again. She had been trying to call Ryan for the last five minutes but every time she did, it told her the number was blocked.

She looked up as Luis walked past her room. "What did you do to the phone?" She asked and he stopped to look at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"It doesn't work when I try to call Ryan." She told him and he nodded.

"That's because we had his number blocked," He said and Gaby's eyes widened. "Gaby, it's for the best, okay? Your relationship with him wasn't going to work out anyway, you're lucky Lindsey didn't call the police…" He said and she shook her head. "He's just a boy, you'll get over it. Do you remember how you felt when Tyler broke up with you?"

"It's not the same, dad!" She shouted. "Ryan didn't break up with me and I feel different when I'm with him!"

"Like his older sister?" He mumbled and she rolled her eyes.

"You don't get it," She shook her head. "None of you will ever understand how I feel about him, how we feel about each other!" She said and Luis looked at her. "We made each other happy dad, really happy; shouldn't that be enough?"

Luis shook his head. "I wish it was, honey," He said and she looked away. "Unfortunately it isn't and we've already all decided that this relationship is over so I don't want to hear another word about it."

"But dad!"

"Not another word." He said and she crossed her arms over her chest. He stood up and headed for the door.

"You can't stop me from seeing him, you know?" She asked, in tears now. "I'm an adult and I can do whatever I want."

Luis nodded. "But he's not Gaby, and if his parents say they don't want you two to be together anymore then that's how it's gonna be." He said and she sat back down. "I want you to be happy, sweetie, but you're just going to have to find another way to do that."

"Whatever." She shook her head and turned away.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and then left the room.

Gaby buried her face inside her pillow and started to think. There had to be some way she was going to fix this.

* * *

Jared walked over to Ryan's locker, they needed to talk. Jared was still in shock about finding out that Ryan was dating his older sister and he needed to make it clear to Ryan about how he felt.

"Hey, Ryan," Jared said, walking over to him.

Ryan sighed when he saw him. "Jared, listen, I'm really not in the mood for a fight, so…"

Jared shook his head. "I don't want to fight you," He said and Ryan looked up at him. "Even though the situation's really, really weird… I kind of understand it." He said and Ryan looked at him, curiously. Jared laughed. "I just know that you make my sister happy and it sucks that you two can't be together." He said and Ryan nodded. "I just hope you know that if you need anything… I'm here, man." He said and Ryan looked at him. "I mean it, _anything, _like sneaking you in the house to see Gaby, whatever, as long as it stops her crying…"

"She's been crying?" Ryan asked, concerned and Jared nodded.

"A lot, man," Jared said and Ryan sighed. "It sucks but it's not your fault, she just misses you."

"I miss her too." He nodded.

"Well, like I said if you two need my help seeing each other…" He trailed and Ryan laughed.

"Thanks, Jared, but I think we can meet up in secret without your help," He said and Jared frowned. "But if we need it, we'll ask you."

Jared smiled. "Alright, I'll see you at practice?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"Don't sweat it." He winked and then walked away. Ryan laughed.

* * *

Molly and Ethan were in the music room, practicing their new song when Nora walked in.

Ethan and Molly looked at each other then at Nora.

"Hi," Nora smiled.

Ethan and Molly looked at each other then at Nora.

"Um, you know what… I'm just gonna go." Molly said, gathering her things. "I'll see you later, Ethan." She said, as she walked out of the room.

"Sorry about that." Ethan said and Nora shook her head.

"No, it's better that we're alone, I was going to ask to talk in private anyway." She said and Ethan nodded.

"What's up?" He asked, staring at her stomach. He couldn't believe how big she had gotten… she was almost eight months pregnant now.

"Uh, well, if you didn't already know I just wanted to make sure that you knew that the baby's almost here." She smiled and he nodded.

"Yeah," He said, running his fingers through his hair. "I have the due date marked on my calendar."

She smiled. "That's really sweet." She said and he nodded. "How are you and Molly?"

He looked at her. "We're great," He smiled. "I really like her and I think she likes me too." He said and she smiled.

"I'm happy for you." She said and he nodded, as they moved closer to each other.

"Nora…" He trailed and she kissed him.

She quickly pulled away. "I'm sorry." She whispered and he looked at her. "I just…"

"No, it's okay," He shook his head. "I needed that."

"Yeah," She nodded. "Me too."

He smiled. "If you need anything, I'm here, okay? I want to help." He said and she nodded, tearing up. "Don't cry, please, I'm sorry…"

She laughed, wiping her eyes. "No, it's happy tears, I promise." She said and he nodded. "I really am happy for you, okay?" She said and he nodded. "Can we hug and it not be weird?"

"Of course." He smiled, and they hugged. "You're doing great kid," He whispered and she smiled.

She quickly pulled away. "Um, I'm gonna go." She said and he nodded. "That song sounded amazing, by the way." She said and Ethan smiled.

"I'll call you, to fill you in on baby stuff soon, okay?" She said and he nodded.

"I can't wait." He said and she smiled, walking out of the room.

* * *

Jared walked through the halls, searching for Sophia. He spotted her at her locker and walked over to her.

"Hey you." He said and she turned around.

She smiled. "Hey, Jared."

"So, listen, I have our whole date for tomorrow night planned out, it's going to be pretty epic." He said, smiling proudly and she gave him a look.

"You know, you don't have to do this…" She trailed and he shook his head.

"I want to," He smiled and then kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later?"

She smiled and nodded, watching him go. Maybe her and Jared could work out after all.

* * *

Andria walked into Rob's apartment and walked over to him. He looked up from his laptop and smiled as she kissed him.

"Hey," She whispered. "How are you?"

"I'm okay." He nodded and then turned back to his laptop.

She raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

He looked back at her. "Oh, yeah, I guess… I mean, not really." He shook his head.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sitting down.

He looked at her. "I just, I haven't spoken to Lauren since… and I miss her, that's all." He said.

Andria nodded slowly; she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. "Well, you don't have to go to her anymore, you have me." She smiled brightly.

He shook his head. "It's not the same," He said. "She's my best friend and we need to be in each other's lives… you wouldn't understand, we have a different connection."

Andria narrowed her eyes at him angrily. "If you two share such a 'different' connection, then why are you even with me?"

He looked at her. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it," He said and she placed her hand on her hip. "And besides, I wouldn't talk if I were you." He said and she raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I see the way Nick looks at you and you flirt with him _all _the time." He said and Andria looked at him.

"That's crazy! Nick and I are _just _friends!" She told him and he shook his head.

"Really? Then why did he send you all those love letters, huh?" He asked and her eyes widened. "Yeah, you didn't know that, did you?" He asked and she shook her head, looking away. "I heard him and Lauren talking about it one night and then I put the pieces together… he's in love with you."

She shook her head. "I can't believe I didn't realize it before," She whispered and then looked up at him. "Lauren's in love with you."

"I know," He nodded. "I've known for quite a while but I've been too scared to let myself admit it…" He trailed and she nodded. "I think I'm in love with her too." He said and Andria looked at him.

"What?" She said, her jaw dropped. "So, what was I? Some booty-call?!"

He shook his head. "No, not at all… but I mean, it's not like we were going anywhere, we live in different continents!" He said and she nodded slowly. "What we had was great but we have to be honest with ourselves… if it weren't for the sex, we wouldn't have anything." He said and she looked at him. "I mean, this is probably the longest conversation we've had since we started this."

She nodded. "You're right," She whispered. "I guess I was just pretending it was something more to… avoid my feelings for Nick." She said and he nodded.

"That's understandable; I've been doing it for quite some time too." He said and she nodded.

"So, where does this leave us?" She asked. "I mean, I still have a few weeks left here…"

"Well, we can continue if you'd like," He said and she looked at him. "Or we can let Lauren and Nick know how we feel, get it right."

She nodded and smiled. "That sounds good."

He pulled her into a hug and then kissed her. "You're beautiful, you know?" He said and she blushed. "I don't think I've ever told you that."

She smiled. "Okay, let's go." She said and he nodded, following her out of the apartment.


	35. The Accident

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews and so sorry for not updating sooner! I've been busy with school and stuff but hopefully I'll be able to update more often. This is the big chapter that I've had written since I started this story (with a few minor changes) I hope you like it and I know some of you will be surprised by the ending lol! Keep the reviews coming, they make me smile!

* * *

Nora was sitting at home when the doorbell rang. She got up to open it and was surprised when she saw Julie.

"Hi," Julie smiled. "I'm so sorry for coming unannounced, but I wanted to talk." She said and Nora nodded, letting Julie in.

"I know it's been a little tense lately because of Ryan and Gaby," Julie said, as they walked into the kitchen. "But I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Nora smiled. "I'm fine, I promise," She said and Julie nodded. "I'm almost due… 8 months."

Julie nodded, smiling. "I'm about just the same." She said and Nora nodded. "Are you afraid?" She asked and Nora looked up at her.

"A little," Nora confessed, nodding. "How did you feel when you were pregnant with Gabrielle?"

"I was terrified at first, I didn't know if I'd be able to raise a baby on my own and people were talking bad about me but… it was the love and support from my friends that got me through it," She said and Nora nodded.

"Do you have any regrets?" She asked and Julie looked up at her. "About having a child so young, since you never go to do what you wanted?"

"Never," Julie shook her head. "I wouldn't trade Gaby for the world and I think keeping her was the best decision I've ever made." She said and Nora nodded. "But that's just me, Nora; if you're not ready… then you don't have to raise it yourself."

"No, I'm definitely ready," Nora nodded. "I already feel this huge attachment to this baby and the thought of not keeping it isn't possible."

Julie smiled. "That's good, then, I have a feeling your going to be a great mother." She said and Nora smiled.

"Thank you, I think you're the only person who thinks that, though." She said and Julie laughed.

"Well, if you _ever _need anything, I'm just a phone call away, okay?" Julie said and Nora nodded.

"Thank you." She whispered and Julie smiled as they hugged.

"I'll see you soon; maybe our children can have a play date." She winked and Nora laughed as Julie left.

Nora ran to the phone and dialed Melanie's number. "Hey, so I've figured out a name for my baby!"

* * *

Molly and Ethan had just finished another rehearsal and Molly was dropping Ethan off at home.

"I think we're getting pretty good," She smiled and he nodded. "We should probably practice with Andy next time though, I have a feeling he's getting a little jealous of all the time we've been spending together." She joked and he laughed.

"I'll make sure to give him a copy of the sheet music," Ethan said and Molly smiled nodding. "I, um, I have a lot of fun with you, Molly."

She smiled. "Me too," She nodded and he pulled her into a kiss. She pulled away and rested her forehead on his. "That was nice." She said and he nodded, kissing her again. She pulled away once more. "Is anyone home?" She whispered and he looked into her eyes, shaking his head.

"Let's go inside," He whispered as they walked into the Germaine house, continuing their make out session. They got to Ethan's room and fell onto the bed. Just as Molly was about to pull her top off, Ethan stopped.

"Everything okay?" Molly asked and he looked at her.

"Not really," He said and she raised an eyebrow. "We shouldn't do this," He whispered and she gave him a look. "It's not that I don't want to, because I do, I'm just… not ready." He said and she nodded, scooting over to his side.

"I understand." She nodded. "Waiting makes sense… I don't want to rush us, anyways."

"Us?" he smiled and she looked at him.

She blushed. "Well, yeah, I mean, we kiss and stuff, I just figured… if you don't think we're anything then you don't have to-" He cut her off with a kiss and she blushed. "What was that for?"

"For being so adorable," He said and she blushed again. "I want there to be an 'us', Molly, I really like you." He told her and she smiled, kissing him again.

"You do have _Mean Girls _on DVD, right?" She asked and he nodded, laughing. "Okay, 'cause that's so our movie so how about we go watch it?" She asked, standing up and taking his hand.

"Sounds perfect." He smiled and they headed to the basement.

* * *

Jared guided Sophia, his hands over her eyes, as they walked through the park.

"Are we there yet?" She asked, almost tripping. "Jared, why can't I see where we're going?"

He laughed. "Because, it's a surprise!" He said, as he continued to guide her. "Besides, we're almost there." He promised and she sighed.

A couple more steps and Jared stopped.

"We're there?" Sophia asked, excitedly.

Jared laughed. "Yep, we are," He said, "You ready?" She nodded and he removed his hands.

She opened her eyes and gasped, totally in shock from what she was looking at.

"Jared…" She whispered, almost breathless. It was beautiful, they were at a very secluded park, near the water, and there was a picnic table with a romantic dinner for two. The sunset was perfectly shining down on them and Sophia sighed, happily.

She turned around to face him and smiled, and then she ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," She whispered. "No one's ever done anything like this for me before."

He smiled, pulling away and cupping her face in his hands. "Well, you deserve it."

She smiled, and turned away shyly as she walked over to the table.

"This is so beautiful!" She said, looking over at the water. "Did I say 'thank you' yet?" She asked and he laughed.

"Just sit down and eat, you kid," He said and she narrowed her eyes at him. He smirked and she giggled, as he opened the picnic basket, revealing two plates of spaghetti. "Yummy Spaghetti."

"Mm, my favorite!" She smiled and he laughed. "Thank you."

"Thank my dad," He said and she looked at him. "When I tried to make this, it didn't turn out so good so I asked him to make his famous Spaghetti." He said and she smiled.

"You got your dad to help with this too?" She asked, surprised, and he nodded. "That's really sweet, Jared."

He smiled. "Anything for you." He said and she had to stop herself from blushing.

Their moment was interrupted by a cell phone ringing and Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, I'm so sorry, Jared," She said, immediately turning her phone on silent. "It's my dad… you know how he gets when I'm with a boy, especially you." She said and he laughed.

"No worries," He said. "You know what? I bet their all sitting at my house, discussing this over wine and picking out baby names for our future children or something." He said, rolling his eyes and she laughed.

"That sounds about right." She nodded, taking another bite of her food.

He put his fork down as he stared at her. She looked more than beautiful tonight, her usually tied up hair was down with a few natural waves and her makeup was very light.

"What are you staring at?" She asked, with a laugh and he looked at her. "Do I have sauce on my face or something?"

He laughed. "No, no you don't," He said. "You just look… really beautiful tonight, Sophia." He said and she smiled, looking away shyly. "Would this be an inappropriate time to ask you if you wanted to dance?" He asked, pulling out a C.D player.

"Dance?" She asked, setting her fork down. "Oh, I don't know, Jared…"

He laughed. "Come on, it's not like anyone's around to see us," He said, putting the C.D in. "This song was made for us, I promise it'll be fun, okay?" He said and she looked at him, hesitantly. He took her hand. "Come on." He smiled, pulling her near the water as they started dancing slowly to the music.

_Cause it's you and me and all of the people _

_With nothing to do, nothing to prove_

_And it's you and me and all of the people_

_And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you_

She smiled at the lyrics. "I like this song." She said, looking up at him.

He nodded. "Me too." He whispered and she rested her head on his shoulder as they continued dancing.

* * *

Julie walked into her home and saw Gabrielle sitting on the couch watching t.v and she could tell that she had been crying.

"Gaby," Julie said, walking over to her daughter. "What's wrong?"

"It's the _Notebook_," Gaby said, just above a whisper. "Me and Ryan watched this together a few weeks ago and… it just brings back memories." She said and Julie nodded. "Not that you care or anything." She said, coldly, and Julie looked at her.

"Of course I care, Gaby," She said. "But this thing between you and Ryan, it's not going to happen, okay? I know it's hard, I've been there but you need to get over it, okay?" She said and Gaby's eyes widened. "You're twenty-four years old and _very _successful; you don't need a boy to make you happy."

"How can you say that?" Gabrielle asked. "Your whole life is based around Dean!" She shouted and Julie looked at her.

"That's not true," She said, standing up. "There's no need to be nasty, Gaby, I'm just trying to be there for you."

"Well, you're doing a really bad job at it," Gaby said, looking back at the t.v. "Just leave me alone, I hate you." She whispered and Julie looked at her.

"What?"

"You heard me." Gabrielle said and Julie couldn't believe her ears. "I hate you!"

Julie laughed and shook her head. "I'm going to go for a drive and by the time I get back you better be off your ass and out of this house." She said, walking outside and slamming the door.

She angrily walked to her car and started driving. She couldn't believe this, Gabrielle was being so immature… What kind of adult told her mother she hated her?

She shook her head and picked up the phone, dialing Dean's number. "Hi, sweetie," She said, getting his voicemail. "I'm just going for a drive so I won't be home when you get home… me and Gaby got in a fight so I'm sorry if she's rude to you," She continued. "I want you to know that I love you and I'm so happy with our life-" but Julie couldn't finish her sentence as a car came flying towards her and hit her.


	36. It Ends Tonight

**A/N: **I'm so sorry for not updating in forever. School has seriously been INSANE and I don't even know how I'm going to get thru this year lol. Anyways, a lot of you are probably going to hate me for this chapter because, well... you'll see. I made a _lot _of changes to the character pictures so if you would like to go check them out, please do so and let me know what you think! I love all your reviews so keep them coming and I'll try to update more often.

* * *

"You have no idea how good it feels to be in your arms again." Gaby said, as her and Ryan were in the middle of hugging at their spot. "I missed you." She whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I missed you too." He nodded, kissing her head. She pulled away and smiled. "How are we going to do this, Gaby?" He asked. "I love you, so much, and I don't want to be with anyone else but our parents…"

"We'll find away," She told him and smiled. "All I care about is being with you, no matter what the consequences." She said and they kissed. Gaby's cell phone rang and she groaned, picking it up. "Hello? Dean? What do you mean an accident? Oh my God! Okay, I'll be right there!" She quickly hung up and looked at Ryan, who was staring at her curiously.

"Gaby, what happened?"

"My mom," She whispered, shaking her head. "She's dying."

* * *

After dancing to their song, Jared and Sophia sat back down at their table and were talking.

"So, why'd you take me out tonight, Jared?" She asked and he looked up at her. "I mean, I know we're friends and stuff but…"

He nodded. "I know what you're trying to say," He said and she nodded. "I took you out because… I guess because I was scared to lose you." He said and she looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I think it's pretty clear how we feel about each other," He said and she looked at him. "And we were never together because I'm too stubborn and too stupid to wake up and realize that we should be together and then you started hanging out with my brother, which wasn't that much of a threat because, come on, it's Andy," He said, only half-joking and she gave him a look. "Sorry," He mumbled. "But then you went on a date with Mark and I saw you slipping away and I just… I couldn't let it happen."

"So, you took me out because you think you own me?" She asked, confused.

"No," he laughed. "I mean, I like you, Soph, you know that," He said and she lowered her eyes. "But I'm not even close to being good enough for you."

"I think I get to decide that." She said and he nodded.

"Sure, but you… you're so great and so kind, you deserve someone who will treat you right and not play with your head like I do." He said.

"I don't get it, Jared, what are you trying to say?" She asked. "Do you want to be with me or not?"

"Of course I want to be with you, Soph," He said. "I just don't know if I _can _be with you." He said and she swallowed.

Jared's cell phone rang again. "I'm sorry," He whispered. "It's my mom, I should probably answer." He said, standing up and then walking away as he answered the phone.

"Mom, I'm kind of busy right now-"

"Jared!" It was Gabrielle. Why was she using their mom's phone? "Where are you?"

"I'm out with Sophia…" He said and looked over at Sophia. "Gaby, what's wrong?"

"You have to come to the hospital right now," She said, in tears. "Mom's been in an accident, it's really bad."

* * *

Melanie walked over to Aidan's and took a deep breath. She hadn't spoken to him since their last kiss a few days earlier and she was beginning to worry.

Aidan opened the door and was surprised to see her. "Oh, Mel," He said and she smiled at him. "Hey, come on in." He said, opening the door and bit more and she walked in.

"I'm sorry for coming without calling but," She looked at him. "We haven't talked in a little while and I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

He nodded and smiled at her. What was he supposed to do now? He and Jen were seeing each other now secretly, but his feelings for Mel hadn't gone away. "Oh, that was nice of you," He smiled and walked over to her. "I'm doing just fine."

"That's good to hear," She said, smiling. Why was this so awkward? "Um, so… we haven't talked in a while, what have you been up to?"

Aidan looked at her. "Look, Mel…"

"No wait," She said and he kissed her. She pulled away. "You can't keep doing that," She whispered. "You can't just keep kissing me and not make anything of it." She said and he looked away. "What are we, Aidan? I mean… do you even like me?"

He looked at her. "Of course I do, it's just really complicated, Mel," He said and she looked at him. "I wish I could explain it to you but… I can't."

"Why not?" She asked but before he could answer, her phone rang. "Ugh, sorry." She said, pulling it out of her pocket and answering it. "Hello? Ethan? Her water _broke?!_ Okay, okay, I'll be right there!" She closed the phone and looked at Aidan. "I'm so sorry, I have to go… Nora's water broke!" She said, heading for the door.

"Hey, wait," He said. "Let me drive you there," He said and she looked at him hesitantly. "It'll be a lot faster than taking the bus."

She sighed and nodded. "Fine, but hurry!"

* * *

"Is she gonna be okay?" Jared asked, immediately, as he and Sophia walked over to her parents in the waiting room.

Livvie looked up at them and shook her head, taking Sophia into her arms.

"I'm so sorry, Jared," She whispered and he looked at her worriedly. "You should go in there, your dad's in there with Andrew and Gaby, okay?" She told him and he looked towards the door. "Go, sweetie." She encouraged and he nodded, slowly walking in.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" He asked, seeing his mother in the bed, unconscious, and Dean sitting on the chair next to her, grasping her hand while Gabrielle and Andrew were on the other side, doing the same thing.

"Jared," Gabrielle managed to whisper as she looked at him. "Come here," She said and he did. He looked at her curiously and she sighed, sadly. "The baby died." She said, her eyes filling with tears. "And mom's going to die too." She said and Jared's eyes widened.

"Don't say that!" Andrew said, looking at her. "We don't know that for sure… Mom's strong, she'll make it!"

Gabrielle shook her head. "The doctor said there's a ninety percent chance that she won't make it and that we should say our goodbyes." She explained and Jared looked down at his mother then back at his sister, asking for an explanation. "She was in a car accident," Gaby whispered. "The baby died immediately and they had to do surgery on mom," She continued. "The doctor said there's too much damage done and she probably won't make it…" She trailed and Jared couldn't believe his ears.

"We can't think like that," Andrew said. "We have to think positive! Mom's the strongest person I know, she'll pull through!"

But no one responded. They all looked back at Julie and tried to accept what was happening, trying to understand _why _it was happening.

Jared took a seat next to Gabrielle and held onto his mother's hand, wondering if he'd ever get to speak to her again.


	37. I Hate This Part

**A/N:** Ah, so I was going to write another chapter before this but it was so short and unnecessary so I didn't... I hope none of you are confused but if you are, please let me know! And if I don't update by tomorrow, have a very Happy Halloween! :)

* * *

Everyone was at the Portmans' after the funeral. They had all said their goodbyes but still none of them could believe this was happening.

Ryan walked into the house searching for Gabrielle. She needed him right now and all he wanted to do was comfort her but lately, she'd just been pushing him away.

He spotted her standing in the dinning room and started walking over to her but stopped when he saw someone he didn't know talking to her. He was about her age but Rya had never seen him before.

He shook his head and sighed, deciding he'd go find his mom instead.

* * *

"I still can't believe you're here," Gabrielle said and the man standing in front of her smiled. "It's been a while, huh?"

He nodded. "Almost two years, to be exact," He said and she nodded. "I know this is probably a stupid question to ask but… are you okay?"

She looked up at him and swallowed. She shook her head. "Not really," She said and looked back down, tearing up. He pulled her into a hug and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I just… I miss her so much, Ty, you know?"

"I know, sweetie," He whispered, hugging her tighter. He pulled away for a few seconds and looked into her eyes. "Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "That would be nice."

He nodded and took her hand, leading her upstairs.

* * *

Nora arrived and held the baby in her arms tighter. She couldn't believe that Julie was actually gone. It had been just days before that they had had their talk and now she was gone.

Nora walked into Julie and Dean's room and saw Dean sitting on the bed.

"Uh, hi," She said and he looked at her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude, I just…"

"You're not intruding," He said and she looked at him. "You're Nora, right?" She nodded. "Julie talked about you a lot during her last few days."

Nora smiled. "Really?" She asked and he nodded. "Um, I just wanted to let you know… Julie was a great friend to me, I mean, we didn't really know each other well but she was there for me and she understood what I was going through… she made this process a lot easier," She said and he nodded. "I hope this was okay but… I named my daughter after Julie," She said, motioning the baby to Dean. He looked surprised. "I decided before she… but I thought it'd be a nice way to honor her memory." She said and Dean nodded, managing a smile.

"Thank you for coming, Nora." He said and she smiled.

"You're welcome." She nodded.

* * *

Andy sat in the living room, staring at the floor. He wondered why all these people that he had never met before were at his house. They didn't even know Julie that well. He shook his head and sighed but when he looked up, he saw Jennifer Reed and was surprised.

"Um, hello." She said, with a polite smile but Andy had no words. What was Jen Reed doing here and why was she talking to him?

"I just wanted to give you my condolences," She told him and he nodded. "I don't know what it's like to lose a parent so I'm sorry," She continued. "I didn't know Julie very well but I do know that she was a great woman and she helped my brother out a lot… she'll definitely be missed."

"Thank you." He nodded and she smiled.

"Look, I know we don't really know each other or anything but if you ever need someone to talk to… I'm always available." She told him and then walked away. This should have confused Andy but he was so sad right at that moment that he hadn't even noticed.

* * *

Molly arrived and walked over to where she saw Jade standing.

"Hey," Molly said, smiling awkwardly. Things had been tense for the last few months between the best friends, especially now that Molly was with Ethan.

"Hey." Jade nodded. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, I guess, what about you?" She asked. "Where's Casey?"

"He couldn't make it…" She shook her head, taking a sip of her drink. "It was too hard on him, they were very close, you know?" She said and Molly nodded. "Mols, you know I'm okay with you and Ethan being together, right?"

"You are?" Molly asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Jade nodded. "I mean, you're my best friend and whatever makes you happy makes me happy. Life's too short to be selfish like I was, you know?"

Molly nodded and smiled. "I missed you." She whispered and Jade pulled her into a hug.

"Me too, you have no idea."

* * *

Ryan had had enough of watching Gabrielle talk (or flirt) with this man that he didn't know. He walked over to them and wrapped his arm around Gabrielle's waist.

"Hi, sweetie," He said, gently, and she looked up at him. "What's going on?" He asked, looking over at Tyler.

"Ryan," She said and smiled. She had completely forgotten about him ever since she started talking to Tyler. "This is Tyler Vanderbilt," She said, looking at him. "An old friend."

"Nice to meet you." Tyler said and Ryan nodded.

"Yeah, I'll bet." Ryan said and Tyler raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, my mom's calling me… I'll see you later, okay Gaby?" He said, looking at the petite brunette. She nodded and he turned to Ryan. "It was nice meeting you." He said and then walked away.

Gabrielle turned to Ryan and gave him a look. "Ryan, what the hell was that?"

He looked at her. "What the hell was what?"

"You don't need to be intimidated by him, there's no reason to be jealous, okay?" She said and Ryan sighed.

"I just wanted us to be alone… so I can be here for you, Gaby." He told her and she nodded.

"Well, I don't need your comfort right now." She said, as she walked over to Ty. "Hey, I'm so sorry about that." She said and he nodded.

"It's alright," He smiled. "Listen, Gaby, I'm sorry but I have to leave."

"Oh," She nodded, disappointed. "Any chance I can come with? I don't think I can stand to be here any longer."

He looked at her. "Of course," He nodded. "Whatever you need, I'm here."

She nodded. "Still have that motorcycle?" She asked. "I need to go fast."

"Yeah, I've got an extra helmet in my mom's car." He told her and she nodded. "We'll leave now?"

"Yeah, sounds good." She said, following him outside.

Meanwhile, Ryan watched as his girlfriend left with her 'old friend' and hopped onto his motorcycle. He sighed, knowing this wasn't the last he'd see of Tyler Vanderbilt.


	38. It's Never Too Late

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I really thought everyone was going to stop reading after I killed off Julie so thanks for sticking around lol! There's so much crazy stuff coming up and I'm so excited to write about it and for you guys to read it, of course. Keep those reviews coming, they motivate me so much :)

* * *

Jared lay in bed the next morning, staring up at the ceiling. He hadn't slept all night but somehow, he wasn't tired. He looked over to his side and saw Sophia sleeping soundly. She was still wearing the black dress she had worn to the funeral and a piece of her hair was sticking up. Jared smiled a little, reaching over to pat it down and that was when she opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you." He said and she shook her head, smiling.

"It's okay." She told him. "How'd you sleep?"

"I didn't." He said and she looked at him.

"Jared, I know this is very hard for you but… you need to sleep." She said, concerned and he nodded.

"I know but every time I close my eyes, a memory of her comes into my head and I just, I can't see her now, I'm not ready." He said and she nodded, understandingly.

She carefully wrapped her arms around him and let his head rest on her shoulder.

"I wish I could make things better for you." She whispered and he nodded.

He sat up and then faced her, looking into her eyes. "There's one thing," He said, placing his hand on her cheek and bringing her face closer to kiss her. He pulled away and she blushed. "Those amazing chocolate pancakes of yours that I love would make me feel a little better." He said, managing a smile.

She laughed. "If that's what will help…" She trailed and he nodded. She laughed again and quickly got up.

"You're the best!" He told her and she looked back and gave him a quick smile, before running down the stairs to make the pancakes.

* * *

Gaby woke up in an unfamiliar bed and quickly jumped when she realized where she was. Tyler's room. She closed her eyes, praying she hadn't done what she thought she had.

She got out of the bed and walked into the kitchen, where Tyler was reading the newspaper.

"Morning, sunshine," He said, with a smile and she looked at him. "How are you?"

"Did we sleep together?" She quickly asked and he almost chocked on his tea.

"Of course not, Gaby!" He said and she sighed, relieved. "Do you not remember what happened last night?"

She looked at him and shook her head. "Not really… everything these past few days have been a blur." She said and he nodded.

"Okay," He said, slowly. "Well, you came here, we had a few glasses of wine and we talked about _everything,_" He said and she looked at him, curiously. "About your mom, middle school, when we were together… You didn't mention that boyfriend of yours, though."

"That makes sense, I guess," She said and he looked at her. "Things have been a little rocky lately."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No, hopefully things will work out on their own." She said and he nodded. "I should probably go, though," She said and he stood up. "Thank you, for everything and I hope I see you around." She said and he smiled.

"Of course." He nodded and she left.

* * *

Lucy sat in her bedroom, staring at the blank paper. She had to write an essay for English class but she had no idea what to write about. She groaned loudly and rested her head on the desk.

She heard a knock at her door and quickly lifted her head up.

"Is there a young lady with the name of 'Lucy Riley' that lives in this room?"

She smiled, it was Zach.

"There is." She nodded, laughing as he walked in, one hand behind his back.

"Well, then do I have a surprise for you!" He said, revealing his hidden hand. He held a small, chocolate cupcake with a lit candle sticking out of the top. "Happy 16th Birthday, Lucy!"

"Zach…" She trailed, laughing. "Thank you!"

He laughed and gave her the cupcake. "Why aren't you out celebrating?" He asked and she looked away.

"Well, because, I mean… everyone was so sad about Julie so I didn't want to make it seem like my birthday was more important," She shrugged and Zach looked at her. "I didn't know her but my dad did and he was friends with her and her husband when my Uncle Scooter was dating this girl Livvie, so it's probably really hard on him and I just don't want to make a big deal about my birthday…"

"What? Lucy, that's crazy! It's your sweet sixteen! You should be having the best time of your life, no matter what's going on in the real world." He told her and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"And since when did you become a party animal?" She asked and he laughed.

"Well, sleeping with Jade Germaine and then getting dumped by her changes a person," He said and she rolled her eyes. "No, but really… You should be having fun, Lucy."

"I can't, I've got a huge essay that's due tomorrow, anyway." She shook her head.

He sighed and walked over to her, taking her hand. "Lucy, I'm going to give you the best birthday ever, okay?" He said and she raised an eyebrow. "A birthday that you will never forget."

* * *

Gaby returned home and sighed when she saw Ryan sitting at the doorstep.

"Gaby!" he said, standing up and walking over to her. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick."

She looked at him. "I was just with an old friend." She told him and he nodded, pulling her into a hug but she pushed him away.

"What's wrong, baby?" He asked her and she looked up at him.

"I think we should take a break." She swallowed and his eyes widened.

"No," He shook his head, not comprehending what she was saying. "I'm not leaving you, not now when you need me most, Gaby!"

She tried her hardest not to cry. "Ryan, I just… I need some time alone, okay? I need to deal with this by myself, it's how I've always dealt with things like this."

"'Things like this'?" He asked. "Gaby, you've never had to deal with losing a parent, you don't know how to do it and you can't do it alone! Please let me be there for you!"

She shook her head. "I don't want you to be there for me, I want to be alone, can you respect that, please?"

He was quiet for a while but then he finally looked up at her and nodded. "If that's what you really want but Gaby, if you need me, I'll drop everything to come to you."

"I know." She nodded and they hugged. She quickly pulled away and ran into the house. She went to her bed and started crying onto a pillow.


	39. Best Birthday Ever

**A/N: **So sorry I didn't update sooner, guys! I was out of town (I went to New York for a job interview so... please pray that I got it lol) but I will try to update more often! This chapter kinda focuses on the characters that I haven't really been paying attention to lately and not so much on the main characters. Hope you like it, keep those reviews coming!

* * *

Zach held onto Lucy's hand tighter as he dragged her across the parking lot.

"Zach!" She moaned. "Where are we going?!"

"We're almost there," He said, stopping to adjust the blindfold that was tied around her head. "Just keep walking!"

"I can't even see where I'm going!" She said but he just left. After a few more steps, he stopped. "Are we there? Can I take this stupid thing off now?"

"Yeah," He said, removing it for her and her eyes widened when she saw where they were.

"Oh my God!" She shouted, excitedly. "Zach, you did _not _do this!"

He laughed. "But I did," He said, taking her hand and walking her to the door. "A friend of mine that works here owed me a huge favor and… I thought you'd like to spend your sixteenth birthday at an amusement park that was closed down especially for you." He said, as she starred in awe at all the rides she'd soon get to go on.

"Thank you!" She said, running over to him and hugging him.

* * *

Livvie drove to the Portman house and after knocking on the door for a few minutes, she realized the door was unlocked. She pushed into open and walked in.

"Hello?" She said but no one answered her. She walked into the living room and sighed when she saw Dean passed out on the couch, bottles of beer surrounding him. Though their friendship wasn't as strong as it was in high school, they were still close and Livvie hated seeing him this way.

"Dean!" She said, walking over to him, as she began picking up the bottles off the floor. All she got as a response was a groan and Dean rolling over. She kneeled down next to him and woke him up. "Dean, what are you doing?"

He sat up properly and looked at her. "My wife just died." He said, as a matter-of-factly. She sighed and looked away. "This is how I'm dealing with it."

She looked back up at him. "Dean, you can't… not when you have two teenaged boys to take care of."

Dean shook his head. "We're not talking about this."

"Fine," She nodded, standing up. "But I'm not about to let you go downhill."

"I won't." He said, standing up and Livvie nodded. "It was just a few drinks."

"Well, I'm always here for you, okay?" She said and he nodded. "Come here." She whispered, walking over to him to hug him but he pushed her away.

"I just, I can't." He said and then walked up the stairs into his room.

Livvie sighed and turned around, surprised to see Andy standing in the doorway.

"Is my dad okay?" he asked and Livvie looked at him.

"Yeah, sweetie, of course," She said and he nodded. "He's just having a hard time with this."

Andy nodded. "We all are." He said and Livvie nodded, Andy looked down. "I miss her, so much."

Livvie walked over to him. "Oh, honey, I know," She said and they hugged. "She would be so proud of you and your strength," She whispered and Andy nodded. "She'll always be with you, okay?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

"How do you think Julie's death is going to impact your recovery?"

It had been five minutes since his therapist had asked him that question and Casey still wasn't able to come up with an answer.

"Casey?" He spoke, softly and Casey looked up at him.

"I don't know," He shook his head. "Julie was my godmother, we were really close, I just… can't believe she's gone."

"Does it make you angry?"

Casey looked back down and mumbled. "Yeah, I, um, punched a wall when I found out." He admitted and the therapist nodded. He set his pen and paper down and looked at Casey.

"I know what may help you relief your anger in a healthy manor." He said and Casey raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" He said. "And what would that be?"

The therapist smiled. "Boxing."

* * *

Zach and Lucy had enjoyed every rollercoaster together and were now sitting on the Ferris wheel, just the two of them as it continued going around.

"So, was this the best birthday you've ever had, or what?" Zach asked and Lucy looked at him.

"Definitely!" She smiled.

"Lucy… I've been an idiot," He said and she looked at him. "I couldn't see what I had all along but now I've finally realized and I, well, I think I love you."

She gave him a look. "You _think _you love me?!" She asked, angrily.

Zach laughed. "Well, I'm not sure, I mean, I've never felt like this before," He said and she softened her expression. "Every time I see you, my heart starts beating faster and my palms start to sweat," He continued and she laughed. "You're all I can ever think about and when I'm not around you I feel completely alone… I'm not sure if that's what love is but I think it comes pretty close."

Lucy smiled, her eyes filling with tears. She pulled him by the collar and kissed him, hard. She pulled away and ran her fingers through his hair, keeping him close. "Best birthday _ever_." She whispered and kissed him again.


	40. Can't Love You With Half of My Heart

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing! I hadn't planned to make Aidan an asshole but it kind of just happened lol. I'll try to redeem him somehow, hopefully you don't all hate him because I actually had big plans for him in the upcoming chapters so let me know! Keep the reviews coming :)

* * *

A few days later, Sophia returned to the Portman house to see Jared. She walked upstairs and into his room and then realized that he had barely moved since she had last been there. He was sitting on his bed, staring at the t.v, as he played a video game.

"Hey," She said. He looked up at her and smiled then back to the t.v. "How are you feeling?" She asked, as she sat down next to him.

"Not much better." He told her and she nodded. He set the control down and looked at her. "Sophia," He said and she nodded. "I've been thinking a lot lately and… I think we should put 'us' on hold for a little." He said and she felt a lump in her throat. He took her hand. "It's not because of anything you did, I promise, it's because of me, I just don't think I can give you my one hundred percent and that's not fair to you." He explained and she exhaled, relieved.

"Of course, Jared, take all the time you need, okay?" She said and he nodded. "I'm always here for you."

"Thank you." He whispered, kissing her cheek.

She smiled. "I'm gonna go, okay?"

"You can stay as long as you want." He told her and she nodded.

"I would but Andria's coming home tomorrow and I've got lots to do before then." She told him and he nodded.

"Like make those awesome chocolate chip pancakes for me again?" He said and she laughed.

"No way." She said, kissing his forehead. "I'll come see you soon, okay?"

He nodded and she walked out of the room.

She closed the door and turned, surprised to see Andy walking up the stairs. He stopped and they looked at each other.

"Andy," She whispered and then ran into his arms, hugging him close. She hadn't spoken to him since the night he had told her he loved her and the last time she saw him was at the funeral but he had completely ignored her then. "I'm so sorry." She whispered he tried to hug her back but he couldn't.

He pulled away and she looked at him, confused. "I can't… not if you were just here for him." He said, pointing to Jared's room. He shook his head and then went back into his room, slamming the door.

She sighed and left.

* * *

Jade walked into the Reed house looking for Casey. He had just returned from his therapy session and had called her to come over immediately.

She walked into the living room and spotted him sitting on the couch, staring into space.

She walked over to him and kneeled before him. "Casey, are you okay?"

Without looking at her, he replied, "I think it finally hit me," He said and she looked at him. "That Julie's gone."

Jade stood up and sat next to him, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

"It's not fair," He shook his head. "She was such a good person…" He trailed, and a few teardrops fell from his eyes.

Jade pulled him close and held him tight. "Julie will always be with you, watching over you and making sure you're okay." She whispered and he nodded.

"Yeah, but she shouldn't have to… she should be here!" He shouted, as he pulled away and smashed a plate that was on the coffee table.

Jade stood up and walked over to him, pulling him into her as he cried in her arms.

* * *

Jen drove to Aidan's after getting a weird message from him saying they had something important to talk about.

The door was unlocked so she walked in and was totally surprised when she saw Melanie, who seemed just as surprised as she did, standing in the entrance.

"What are you doing here?" Melanie asked and Jen crossed her arms over her chest.

"I could ask you the same thing." She said and Melanie raised an eyebrow. "Where's Aidan?"

"I'm here," Aidan said, walking in and the sisters looked at him. "Why don't you both come inside, I have a lot to say." He said and the two girls did as they were told.

"Aidan, what the hell is going on?" Jen asked, sitting down and Melanie did the same.

"I haven't been honest with either of you." He said and both girls gave him a look. He turned to Melanie. "I hope you know that this hurts me so much to have to say this but… Jen came up to me one day and asked if I wanted to pretend to like you, get you to go out with me and then break your heart," He said and Melanie's eyes widened.

"Aidan, what the hell are you doing?" Jen asked, getting nervous.

"I can't believe this," Melanie whispered and started to get up, but Aidan stood up to stop her.

"Please, just listen to me," He said and she looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. "Now, I have to be honest with Jen," He said, turning to the blond who seemed incredibly pissed off. "I liked you, a lot at first, but then I started getting to know Mel and I realized I want to be with her," He said, turning back to Mel, she was mortified. "If you'll have me."

"You disgust me." She whispered and then slapped him hard across the face. She ran out of the house, crying.

Jen walked over to Aidan and slapped him too. "I can't believe I let you play me like that."

"Jen," He sighed. "I didn't, I honestly genuinely liked you, but…"

"You like Mel more." She finished for him and he nodded.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "How did I not see this coming?" She said and he lowered his eyes. "You're an asshole." She said and walked out of the house.

She got into her car and started driving. She stopped once she saw Andy walked, who also seemed to be upset.

She stopped the car and rolled down the window. "Hey," She said and he looked up at her. "You okay?"

"Not really," He shook his head and then noticed she'd been crying. "Are you?"

"Not really," She said and he nodded. "But I kinda wanna forget about it."

He nodded. "Want to go somewhere?" He asked and she looked at him then opened the door.

"Yeah."


	41. Heartless

**A/N: **Thanks for reviewing, keep them coming. I'll try to update as soon as possible!

* * *

A few days later, Melanie walked into Nora's room and couldn't help but smile when she saw her best friend rock her baby to sleep.

"Hey," Melanie whispered and Nora looked up at her.

"Hey!" Nora smiled, happy to see her. Ever since she'd had the baby, she had barely seen any of her friends. "Let me just put her in the crib, okay?" Nora said and Melanie nodded, watching as Nora stood up and gently put Hope Julie Conway to sleep.

"You're so good with her!" Melanie said when Nora came back.

"Yeah well, I had a lot of help from my mom," Nora said and Melanie laughed. "So, what's up? I miss you, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!"

Melanie nodded. "I know, I'm so sorry I haven't come to see you lately, I've just been so busy with school and tutoring and Aidan…" She trailed and Nora's eyes widened.

"Aidan, eh?" She smiled but Melanie shook her head, sadly. "Oh, honey, what happened?"

"It was all a lie," She said and Nora looked at her, curiously. "Jen told him if he pretended to fall in love with me, she'd sleep with him." She told her and Nora's eyes widened. "Yeah, he told me a few days ago and I just feel like such a fool."

"Of course you do!" Nora said, pulling her best friend into a hug. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry that happened to you…"

"Yeah," Melanie nodded, drying her eyes. "The hard part, though, is that… he's in love with me, for real." She said and Nora looked at her. "He said at first he wanted Jen but then he started getting to know me and he realized he wanted to be with me and not her and I just, I don't know what to do… I can't stop thinking about him; the feelings didn't go away even after everything he did."

Nora nodded. "Then you should forgive him," Nora said and Melanie looked at her, her eyebrow raised. "Sure, things between you two may have started off as a deal with Jen but he seems to really have feelings for you… and you don't want to let that slip away, especially if you feel the same way."

Melanie looked at her. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Nora laughed. "My _very _over-protective best friend?"

"Well, said best friend had a baby and got grounded for life so I need to live vicariously through you so I can actually have some sort of life." She said and Melanie laughed. "But, seriously, if you like Aidan, you shouldn't let him slip away." She said. "That's what I did with Ethan and look, now he's happy with someone else."

"I thought you were over him?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, I thought so too," Nora nodded. "But I realized I'm not so sure anymore." She said and Melanie's eyes widened. "I mean, our relationship wasn't perfect but what we had was amazing, and I just… never mind," She shook her head.

"No! If you still have feelings for Ethan, you have to tell him!" Melanie said but Nora just shook her head.

"I can't, he's so happy with Molly and they really like each other… she's such a sweet girl, I couldn't do that to her." She said and Melanie nodded. "It's probably just the hormones talking, so you don't have to worry about me, okay?"

Mel laughed. "Okay, sure."

Nora smiled. "Promise me you'll think about forgiving Aidan?"

"I'll try." Melanie smiled.

* * *

Jen and Andy were lying in her bed, Andy had his arm around her and she was resting her head on his shoulder. They were talking about anything and neither of them had thought about Aidan or Sophia the whole time.

"Can I know something?" Andy asked and Jen sat up to look at him. She nodded. "Why were you crying before?"

She closed her eyes. "Andy, I really don't want to talk about it…"

"Please?" He said and she nodded.

"Have you ever liked, even loved, someone so much before but… you lost them to someone else? Someone really close to you?" She asked and his eyes widened.

"Yeah, you have no idea." He said and Jen smiled, then she kissed him. He kissed her back and she rested her body on top of them as they continued their make out session. Andy's hand went up her shirt and she giggled.

"I've never done this before." She told him and he smiled.

"Me neither." He said. "Do you want to?"

"Hell yeah." She whispered, kissing him again as they lay down on the bed.

They heard the door open and Jen quickly jumped off Andy, it was Melanie.

"Oh, God!" She said, completely disgusted. "You sure move on fast, don't you Jen?"

Jen didn't reply, she simply looked away and Andy looked at her, confused.

"If I were you, I'd get out before it's too late." She said to Andy. He looked at her. "She always betrays the people she claims to care about." She said and then left.

Jen sighed and Andy looked at her.

"What was she talking about?" He asked and she looked at him.

"I've just done some things that I'm not proud of, okay?" She said. "Let's just leave it at that."

He nodded. "I guess it's not such a good idea we do this, huh?" He said and she looked at him.

"I guess not." She shook her head. "Maybe you should go."

"Maybe." He whispered, moving closer to her. She closed her eyes and he kissed her. "I'll see you around." He said and she nodded as he left.

* * *

Back in London, Andria and Nick were preparing for their return home. It had been almost two months since they've been in London and neither of them wanted to leave, especially since not much had been resolved… except for the fact that Lauren and Rob were now dating.

"Bye sweetie," Andria said, hugging Lauren tightly. "And again, I'm so sorry for everything that happened," She said and pulled away. Lauren nodded. "I mean, you're one of my best friends and I never want to lose touch, okay?"

Lauren nodded. "That'll never happen." She said, and hugged the young blond again.

Andria then turned to Rob, standing behind Lauren, and took a deep breath, wondering if she should hug him or not.

"Well, come on," He said and she smiled, giving him a quick hug. "I've got to thank you, if it wasn't for you… I wouldn't have gotten Lauren."

She smiled. "No problem, I was glad to see two people who are meant for each other get to be together." She said and Rob looked at Lauren and smiled, kissing her head. "I'm gonna go," She said and gave Lauren another quick hug and then turned to board the plane. "Don't forget to write!"

Lauren turned around and spotted Nick walking towards them. She quickly ran to him and pulled him aside. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked and he looked at her, confused.

"I, uh?"

"You haven't told her yet!" She said and he sighed, looking down.

"It's too late now," He shook his head. "Too much has happened."

"That's not true," Rob said, catching up with them. ""She wants you too, she's just upset about the fact that you never told her about the letters."

"She knows?!" Nick asked, completely floored.

"Uh, yeah," Rob said, running his fingers through his hair. "I overheard you two talking about it and I told her because I was jealous of all the time you and Lauren were spending together," He said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, man, I didn't know it was such a big deal."

Nick sighed and ran onto the plane, taking his seat next to Andria.

"You know?" He whispered and without looking at him, she nodded. He sighed. "Andria, I'm so sorry…"

"It doesn't matter," She interrupted. "Nothing was going to happen between us anyway." She said and Nick looked at her. "Just forget about it."


	42. Stand On My Own

**A/N: **Thanks for reviewing, I'll try to update more often! Keep em coming :)

* * *

Andria looked up as she walked into the airport and immediately saw Sophia. She ran over to her, dropping her bags, and the two girls hugged.

"I missed you!" Sophia said, hugging her tighter.

Andria smiled. "Not as much as I missed you!" She pulled away. "My mom called and told me about Julie… how is he?"

"He's a little better," Sophia shrugged. "It's been hard but he's getting through it."

Andria nodded. "And how are you two doing?" She winked and Sophia blushed.

"Really good, actually," She said and Andria smiled, excitedly. "But I kinda don't know if I should go for it, you know?" She said and Andria shook her head, confused. "I mean, it feels wrong to be happy because of Julie… but things have been going so good with Jared that I can't help it." She blushed. "Is that wrong?"

Andria laughed. "Are you crazy? I think Julie wanted you two together more than anyone." She said and Sophia smiled. "You've been waiting for this for so long… Julie would be really happy for the two of you."

Sophia nodded. "So, how what London?!"

"Amazing." Andria beamed. "But there's something more important I have to talk to you about," She said, as she saw Nick walk by and greet his family. "Nick's the one who's been sending me all those love letters!" She said and Sophia's jaw dropped.

"I knew there was something creepy about him!"

Andria laughed. "It's not creepy, it's actually really romantic but he lied to me and let me be with someone who is completely wrong for me instead of telling me the truth," She said and Sophia nodded. "I need someone who'll fight for me and he just proved that he's not that guy." She explained and Sophia nodded. "But whatever, _no _guy talk tonight! We're in need of some major best friend girl time at our sleepover!"

Sophia nodded and hugged her again. "It's really good to have you back."

* * *

Gaby came home and freaked when she saw Dean passed out on the couch, surrounded in beer bottles. She sighed as she walked over to him. This had been happening for weeks now.

"I can't give you anymore chances," She whispered but he just groaned. "This has to stop, for the boys' sake and for your sake." She said and got up to call Livvie.

In a matter of minutes, Livvie had arrived and walked over to Gaby. "Thanks for calling sweetie," She said to her, calmly. "You did a good thing, now go call the boys and tell them to pack a bag, you're staying with us tonight." She said and Gaby nodded, running upstairs. Livvie turned back to Dean and sighed. "How could you do this to Julie's children, huh?" She said but he was too gone to answer.

She shook her head and the boys came down.

"What's going on?" Andy asked.

Gaby shushed him. "Just go in the car, okay?" She said and Livvie walked over to them.

"I'm so sorry this is happening to you guys, okay? Just go in the car and we'll talk when we get to my house, alright?" She said and the boys nodded, walking outside.

Livvie took one last look at Dean and shook her head as she left the house.

* * *

Ethan walked over to Nora's, getting ready to see his daughter, Emma Julie Conway. He hadn't seen her in a couple days and couldn't wait to hold her.

"Hey," Nora smiled, as she opened the door letting him in. He smiled back at her and followed her up to Emma's room. "You're in luck, she just woke up."

Ethan smiled and walked over to the crib, watching as Nora carefully picked up their daughter and cradled her. "I think I remember how to do this."

Nora laughed. "I'll help you," She said, holding the baby up. "Hold your arms out and make sure you support your head," She said, as she placed the baby in his arms. "There you go, you're a natural." She said and he smiled, looking down at Emma.

"Hey Emma," He whispered, as the baby stared up at him. "I missed you so much, and I love you so much, okay?" He said and she laughed. He walked over to the rocking chair and sat down then looked back up at Nora. "How are you doing?"

"Well, besides the fact that I have absolutely _no _life," She said and he laughed. "I've been doing alright, I'm a little tired, but I'm alright."

He nodded. "I wish there were something I could do to help," He said. "Maybe I could take her for a night? My mom's really good with babies…"

"You don't have to, I'm okay, I promise." She told him and he nodded.

"Fine, but if it's too much for you, I'm here to help." He told her and she nodded.

He took a deep breath and stood up, walking over to her. He kissed her hard on the mouth and Nora's eyes widened. She pulled away.

"What are you doing?" She asked, breathless.

"I'm sorry," He quickly said and Nora took the baby from his arms. "I just thought that if we got back together, we could give Emma the family she deserves."

Nora shook her head. "That's really nice of you, Ethan, but what about Molly? I thought you really liked her."

"I do," He nodded. "But she's no you." He said and Nora's eyes widened in shock. "I mean, what we had wasn't perfect but… you made me so happy and I loved you." He said and Nora couldn't believe what she was hearing. "We created a life together, Nora, that's gotta count for something, right?"

"Okay, yeah, but not if the only reason you want to get back together is because of Emma," She said. "Because that's not real love and I want Emma to grow up around people who don't lie to her… like I was lied to by my parents."

Ethan nodded. "I just, I miss you and I miss us but…"

"Ethan, just stop, okay?" She said and he looked at her. "You don't want me, you want Molly." She told him and he nodded. "Go find her and tell her how much you wanna be with her, okay?"

He nodded, kissing her on the cheek. "I love you, Nora." He whispered.

"I love you too." She nodded.

He kissed Emma's forehead and then walked out. Nora held back tears and hugged her daughter.

"Your mommy and daddy love you so much, okay?" She whispered. "Even if we're not together anymore."


	43. Jealous

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing :) I've planted a few "hidden" story lines in this chapter that I might plan on using in future stories. Let me know if you pick up on them!

* * *

It's been a few days now and Gabrielle was still staying at Luis'. She walked down the stairs after a night of tossing and turning and found Livvie making breakfast.

"Hey, sweetie," She smiled gently. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," Gabrielle said and Livvie nodded. "Is gonna Dean okay?"

Livvie put the spatula down and walked over to the counter. "Gaby, I don't know," She shook her head. "We're thinking he may have a drinking problem, I just think for now it would be best that you kids stay here, while he gets better, okay?"

Gaby nodded and the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." She said, and walked over to answer the door. It was Tyler. "Hey." She smiled and he walked in.

"Are you busy right now?" He asked and she looked at him.

"Not really, it's seven a.m." She pointed out and he laughed.

"Well, um, would you like to take a drive with me?" He asked and she raised an eyebrow. "I want to, you know, take your mind off things… so I thought we'd go for a drive but if you're busy,"

"Oh no, I'm not," She smiled. "That's sweet of you, thanks," She said and he nodded. "I'll go, um, freshen up and be right down, okay?"

He nodded and she jogged up the stairs, quickly washed her face, got dressed and came down the stairs.

"Alright," She smiled. "I'm ready."

"You're gonna wear that?" He asked, pointing to her jeans and t-shirt.

"Um, yeah?" She said, confused. "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Oh no, not at all," He told her and she raised an eyebrow. "You look fine, let's go." He said, putting his arm around her shoulder and dragging her out to the car.

"So, where are we going?" She asked and he started driving.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled and continued. "So, how've you been?"

"Alright, I guess," She shrugged and she nodded. "I'm sorry, Ty, I never even bother to ask how you're doing."

He laughed. "I'm fine, you're the one who needs a friend right now."

"Yeah," She nodded. "But I guess not talking about my problems would maybe be a good thing." She said and he nodded. "How are you doing? How's your mom, and your sisters?"

He smiled. "They're all good," He nodded. "Lily's gonna be a sophomore at Eden Hall in September and Brooke should be there in two years." He told her and she nodded, smiling. "They miss you."

"I know, I miss them too… I'd love to drop by one day, catch up with everyone." She told him and he nodded.

"They'd like that." He smiled and then stopped the car. "Here we are."

When she saw where they were, she immediately froze. "Oh, Ty," She whispered, a lump formed in her throat. "I can't be here." She whispered and he looked at her.

"Sure you can." He said. "What's wrong with here?"

She looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. "This was me and Ryan's spot." She whispered and he nodded. "I just, I miss him so much."

Tyler smiled. "That's good then, because I have a surprise for you." He said and she looked at him.

"What do you mean?" She asked and he smiled.

"Get out of the car." He said and she did what she was told.

"Tyler, what the hell is going on?" She asked.

"Still have that attitude, I see." She heard someone say and then spun around.

"Ryan!" She said and then ran into his arms. He hugged her close and she'd never hugged someone so tight before. "I missed you _so _much, I can't even…"

He smiled. "I missed you too, baby," He said. "But I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere, no matter how many times you tell me to."

She smiled and kissed him hard. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that." She whispered and he smiled.

"You still got that apartment of yours?" He asked and she nodded, smiling. "Wanna get out of here?"

"Definitely." She smiled and they kissed again.

* * *

The next day at school, Kevin, Lucy and Zach were sitting in the courtyard, eating their lunches. Now that Zach and Lucy were dating, Kevin was feeling like a third wheel and wanted to gag every time he watched his sister kiss his best friend.

"So, how was class, baby?" Zach asked and Lucy smiled.

"It was great," She smiled. "Mr. Murray got a little mad though, I've never been late for class before," She giggled. "I guess we need to shorten those make out sessions." She winked and Zach laughed, kissing her.

Kevin rolled his eyes and looked away from the couple. He saw a young girl, about his age, walking through the courtyard. He couldn't stop staring at her though, she looked so familiar.

"Hey Lucy, is that…" He stopped when he looked back at his sister and her boyfriend kissing. He rolled his eyes and stood up, walking over to the girl.

"Hi, you may not remember me but…"

"Oh my God!" She said. "Kevin Riley?!"

"Lily Vanderbilt." He smiled. "You remembered."

"How could I forget the little boy I used to play with who knew more about running a successful business then my dad did, and he was C.E.O of a major company!" She said and he laughed.

"So, what are you doing here now? I thought you were living in Japan?"

She nodded. "Well, my dad thought after five years it was about time to come home," She told him and he nodded. "He's talking to the Dean now about enrolling me here next semester, since it's almost summer and all."

Kevin nodded, not believing that she was standing before him. "So, maybe that means we'll be in some classes together?"

"Oh, I definitely hope so!" She said. "It'd be great to have a friend on the first day."

He smiled. "Well, don't forget about Lucy, she'll be so thrilled when she hears that you're back."

"Oh, Lucy! I haven't seen her in forever!" She said. "She's here now, right?"

"Would you like me to bring you over to her?" He asked, politely and she smiled.

"You know me too well, Kevin Riley," She smiled. "I'd love to."

* * *

Since the Portmans were staying at the Mendozas, Sophia, Jared and Andy all arrived at school together.

Sophia watched carefully as Andy left them and headed over to Jennifer Reed. He put his arm around her and they walked into the school together.

She frowned and Jared laughed. "Something wrong, Soph?"

"No," She said and he gave her a look. "Well, I just don't understand why he even hangs out with her."

Jared smiled. "You've got nothing to worry about, Jen's a nice girl."

"I'm gonna have to disagree." She said and Jared looked at her. "Did you hear what she did to her sister? I just don't want to see him get hurt."

"Andy's a big boy, he can take care of himself," He said and she nodded, still watching the pair. "But me on the other hand," He started, putting his hands around his waist. She smiled at him. "I wouldn't mind having you taking care of me."

Sophia laughed. "You're such a goof." She said and he kissed her.

* * *

Andria walked over to her locker and sighed when she saw a letter taped to it. She opened it, knowing who it was from, and saw that it read _I'm sorry_.

She sighed and then turned around, jumping a little when she saw Nick standing there.

"I'm sorry," He immediately said and she sighed. "I'm sorry for lying and for saying that I was okay with you and Rob dating, I just…"

"No, Nick, stop," She said, shaking her head. "You didn't fight for me; I can't be with someone who won't do that."

"I'm fighting for you now." He told her but she shook her head.

"It's not enough." She whispered. "Maybe in the future but right now, I just… I can't." She said and walked away.

* * *

Sophia walked out of class and saw Andy talking to Jen. She kissed him on the cheek and headed down the hall. Sophia frowned and walked over to him.

"Hey you." She said and he looked at her.

"Hey, Sophia." He nodded.

"Um, where are you going?" She asked, seeing him go towards the entrance of the school. "We have World History right now."

"Uh, well, I'm meeting Jen and we're going to her place then we're going to see a few of her friends." He said, carelessly, and she raised an eyebrow.

"You can't skip school." She told him and he looked at her.

"Sophia," He sighed. "Being with Jen is the happiest I've been since my mom passed away and skipping one little History isn't such a big deal."

"Yes it is, Andy, and you know it." She said but he shook his head.

"Why can't you just let me be happy?"

"Because Julie wouldn't want you to drop out of school because of some lying slut." She said and Andy narrowed his eyes at her.

"She's not a slut, okay, Soph?" He told her and she rolled her eyes. "She's just been through a lot."

"Everyone's been through a lot, Andy, I just don't want to see you get hurt, okay?" She told him.

"Why? Because a girl like that would never go for a guy like me, right?" He said and she looked at him.

"That's not what I'm trying to say, Andy and you know it."

"Do I?" He asked. "Or maybe you're just jealous because my attention isn't focused on you anymore." He said and she looked at him, her eyes widened.

"Andy," She whispered. "Stop, this isn't you…"

"I'm different now," He told her. "Having your heart broken does that to you." He said and walked away.

Sophia stood there, speechless.


	44. In A Perfect World

**A/N: **Thanks for reviewing! Just wanted to let you know that I changed my username to the username I have on my youtube channel so people from there could have an easier time finding me on here! Keep those reviews coming, only two more chapters of this but I'm thinking of continuing it, should I? Let me know!

* * *

Lucy and Lily were sitting in the Vanderbilt living room, catching up.

"So, Kevin's changed a lot, huh?" Lily said and Lucy looked at her.

"Can't say he has," She shrugged, talking about her brother. "He's still the same old Kevin he's always been."

"Well, he's grown up a bit, that's all I meant." She said and Lucy nodded. "Is he single?"

Lucy's jaw dropped and she looked at her friend. "Do you like him or something?" She asked, laughing and Lily blushed.

"No!" She said and Lucy gave her a look. "I'm just curious and I'm trying to catch up on everything I missed before summer starts."

Lucy laughed, not telling her friend that she didn't believe her. "Well, you've got a lot to catch up on then, wait until you hear about that drama that's going on with the sophomore class." She said and Lily's face lit up. Lucy laughed. "I can't wait until we finally get to go to school together!" She said and Lily smiled as the two girls hugged.

* * *

Jade walked down the halls and rolled her eyes when she saw Connor Vanderbilt walking towards her.

"What do you want?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"Don't worry," He said, smiling. "I'm not here to flirt with you," He said and she raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious, I just need some information." He said and she looked at him.

"About what?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I need to know about this new girl that I saw yesterday." He told her and she looked at him, confused.

"And how would I know anything about a new girl?" She asked.

"Well, because I heard she's a Vanderbilt," He said and Jade looked at him. "And since you were completely obsessed with Tyler Vanderbilt three years ago, I would think you'd know if he had any younger siblings coming to this school."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why can't you just ask your father? Or your sister for that matter, she was always close with his younger sisters."

"So she _is _a Vanderbilt!" He said and she shook her head. "And if I asked my father or sister about this they'd know I'd be up to something and warn her, whoever she is, about me." He said and she nodded.

"Well, I know one of his sisters is in middle school because my little cousin, Matt, goes to school with her and he always complains about how stuck up she is," She explained and Connor laughed. "So, you must've seen Lily."

He nodded. "Thanks." He said and started walking off but Jade followed him.

"Can I ask why?" She said and he looked at her. He was about to answer but was interrupted when Casey jogged over.

"Hey," He said, kissing Jade on the cheek and then turning to Connor. "You ready?"

Connor nodded and Jade raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Ready for what?" She asked and Casey looked at her.

"We're going to the gym together," He said and Jade's eyes widened. "You'll be okay for lunch, right? Jen's not busy?"

"Um, no," She shook her head, completely confused. Why the hell was Casey going to the gym with Connor? She thought they hated each other.

"Alright, see you later." He said, kissing her and then walking away.

"See you later, Jade," Connor said. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," She said, slowly watching the two boys walk away together. "Whatever." She shook her head and walked away.

* * *

Melanie was walking to her locker but stopped when she saw Aidan standing in front of it. She sighed and walked over to him.

"Hi, Mel," He said, smiling at her.

"Hey," She nodded. "Can I help you with something?"

He looked down, she was still mad at him. She had every right to be but for some reason, Aidan thought she'd be over it by now. "Um, well, I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Well, considering the circumstances," She said and he looked up at her. "I'm doing fine."

"That's good," He smiled and she nodded. "Look, Mel… God, you don't know how sorry I am…"

"No, Aidan, stop," She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about what happened."

He nodded. "Do you think… do you think we could ever be friends?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "I'd like that a lot, actually." She said and he smiled, walking away.

* * *

Nora and Ryan arrived home from school together and though Nora wanted to run upstairs to see Emma, Charlie had told them both to sit in the living room, he had something important to say.

"Now, I don't know how you two are going to take this but I just hope you understand…" Charlie trailed and the kids looked at each other. "I'm telling you two this right now because you're older, just try and keep your little brother out of it for now, please?"

"Dad, just tell us what's going on," Nora said. "I've got a baby waiting for me upstairs." She reminded him.

"Right," He nodded, pacing back and forth.

Ryan laughed. "Dad, just spit it out!"

Charlie looked at his children and sighed. "Well, there's no easy way to say this but," He started. "I'm engaged."

"What?!" The teens both said at the same time.

"You and mom _just _got divorced a couple months ago, Dad, how can you have met someone and fallen in love so fast?!" Nora asked, completely shocked.

"It's a long story, honey," Charlie said. "I'll be right back." He said, running into the kitchen. Ryan and Nora looked at each other, completely confused, but before either of them could say anything about all this, Charlie came back, this time with a man by his side.

"Kids," He said and they both looked up at him. "This is my fiancé, Tony."

Nora's jaw dropped and Ryan couldn't even formulate words. Their Dad was gay?


	45. Hello Summer

**A/N:** Hey guys, thanks for reviewing and sorry for not updating sooner! I just finished exams and now I'm on a three week break so I should be updating a lot more often :) I kind of set up a few different things in this chapter but not many of the usual couples are in it. I wanted to explore the characters I haven't really been using so that's going to be my main focus for the next story, as well as what's going on with the main characters! This is the last chapter of this story but after this, we're moving onto a summer story and then, if you guys want, a story about their junior/senior years. Let me know what you guys think! The new story should be up soon.

* * *

A month had passed and it was finally the beginning of summer. Casey and Jade threw a party at his house in honor of school being over while his parents were out of town and Aidan took this opportunity to try to talk to Melanie again.

He saw her sitting by the stairs, looking bored, and walked over to her.

"Hey," He smiled and she looked up at him. She clearly wasn't bored anymore.

"Hi," She smiled, standing up. "Why aren't you out there celebrating with your friends?" She asked, pointing to the huge crowd of people in her backyard.

"Partying isn't really my thing," He shrugged and she nodded.

"Well, in that case," She said and he looked at her. "I'm gonna go watch a movie up in my room; you're welcome to join me if you want." She said, with a smile and he immediately nodded.

"Definitely." He said and they walked upstairs.

* * *

Casey and Connor were watching as their friends dive off the diving board, doing flips and all sorts of other crazy things.

Casey took a sip of his beer and laughed as one of his friends fell in face first. "That was definitely a nine," He laughed but Connor's mind was elsewhere. Casey hit him lightly. "Dude, earth to Connor?"

Connor snapped out of his daydream and looked at his friend. "What? Sorry, man." He said and Casey laughed.

"You alright?" He asked and Connor nodded.

"I just saw somebody…"

Casey smirked. "A girl? I get it man," He said and Connor shook his head, laughing. Casey looked around and saw Zach walking in with his friends. Casey rolled his eyes. "What the hell is my brother doing here with his loser friends? I told him he wasn't allowed…"

"She's not a loser." Connor mumbled, drifting off into space again and Casey gave him a look. Connor looked at him. "I mean, uh, why don't you let me go take care of them?"

Casey shook his head. "I don't know what's up with you, man, but you definitely need a drink," He said, pushing Connor into the house, towards Lily Vanderbilt.

"Um, hi," Connor said, after bumping into her.

She looked up at him, recognizing him instantly from all the summers she'd spent at his house considering their fathers used to be best friends.

"Hello," She smiled, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. "You're Connor Riley, right?" She asked and his eyes widened a little.

"Um, yeah," He nodded. "You're Ty's sister?" She nodded. "Cool, I, um, thought you looked familiar."

"Yeah," She smiled, playing with the ends of her hair. "So, um, is this your party?"

He shook his head. "My friend, Casey's," He said and she nodded. "Want a beer?"

"Oh, no, I don't drink beer," She said and he nodded. "Do you have any Vodka?"

He looked at her. "Damn," He said and she laughed a little. "Follow me." He said and she did. After that they spent the whole night talking and getting to know each other.

* * *

Jared wandered around the Reed house, looking for the keg. He needed a drink, Sophia had been babysitting all day and he had barely seen her. He finally spotted it and saw that Jen was standing next to it, sipping on a beer.

He shook his head and walked over to her, standing behind her.

"So, I think you're going for the wrong Portman brother," He said and she spun around, smiling.

"Hi, Jared," She said and he laughed.

"Seriously, though," He said and she looked at him. "You're still hooking up with my brother?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I am," She said and he nodded. "I wouldn't talk though; you and that Mendoza girl are attached at the hip."

Jared laughed. "Barely," He said and she shrugged. "I really like her."

She nodded. "And I really like Andy." She said and he nodded. "I really hope he doesn't think I'm using him."

"I doubt it," He shrugged. "But then again, Andy doesn't talk to me anymore…"

"Yeah, I don't know about that," She shook her head. "It's all that messed up stuff about Sophia and whatever."

He nodded. "I know I screwed up with that but… never mind, I hate talking about it."

She nodded. "She thinks I'm gonna hurt him, doesn't she?"

"No," He shook his head but she gave him a look. "Jen, it's just Sophia protecting her friends, she really cares about him."

"Right," She nodded. "And that doesn't bother you? Even a little?"

"Sometimes," He shrugged. "But what me and Sophia have… nothing can make that go away." He said and she nodded. "Just take care of him for me, okay?"

"Of course." She nodded. "By the way, I never asked you how you were feeling… you know, about your mom and stuff."

He shrugged. "I'm still dealing with it and my dad's not doing too well either but," He sighed. "Sophia's really helping me out."

She nodded. "You want anything to relieve the pain?" She asked and he looked at her.

"What do you got?" He asked, curiously.

"This guy's been giving me some really good stuff, it's been helping me out a lot," She said and he raised an eyebrow. "So I thought, why not pay it forward, right?"

"You haven't gotten my brother hooked on this stuff, have you?" He asked, warningly and she shook her head.

"I don't want to do anything to hurt him but you… you can handle yourself." She said and he nodded.

"Where to, then, Ms. Reed?" He asked and she smiled.

"Right this way." She said and he followed her to the backyard.


End file.
